


Because We Know It's One Of Us

by IAmAshamedOfMyFanfics (faraandmera)



Series: The ones where people voted on the results [3]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, and they have superpowers, dont worry about this being in a series its zero percent related, if you want u dont gotta when it happens, interactive elements (voting), the series is just for all my stories with voting elements, you know the game mafia/werewolves? its that except its real and not fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-22 18:05:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17667491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faraandmera/pseuds/IAmAshamedOfMyFanfics
Summary: If you had asked Woojin what he thought, at the time, he wouldn’t have had any doubts. Would have thought, after meeting the others, that things might actually be fine. Because they were all, like he was, looking for a place like this. Somewhere safe.It just happened that they weren’t as safe as they thought.Nine people gather together, only to realize one of them is a murderer. Unfortunately they can't leave, so their only choice is to figure out who.





	1. Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im back at it again with whatever this is?  
> but, hey, first stray kids story and im killing them  
> that's...  
> probably fine
> 
> whoops forgot to tag this as chaptered for a hot second there

The population of people among the 7 billion approximate people in the world, that have supernatural powers, is approximately 840 million people. 12 percent of the worlds population, give or take. Despite this, and it’s growing commonality, society hasn’t adjusted well. So-called normal people don’t treat that twelve percent well.

So it’s no wonder, when they’re told there’s somewhere they can live safely and without judgement for having said powers, a number of them would accept. Would go where they were told was safe. After all, could it really be worse than their lives already are?

Nine- of the unknown number of people who were invited- accept. Nine of them show up at the building- it wouldn’t be inaccurate to describe it as a mansion- just outside of a large, but nearly desolate town. None of them are sure about this choice, of course. There’s suspicion in its convenience, in the land owners- and building owner- allowing them there. But, then, they want to be wrong about that suspicion.

Most of them do.

When they arrive, they introduce themselves. The first to do so- a teenager named Jeongin- also adds what his power is, and the rest follow suit. Whether it’s because he did so, or because finally being able to just _say_ _it_ is nice, they all do.

So there’s a group of nine.

  * Woojin - the ability to see into the past, once every 12 hours.
  * Chan - plant manipulation.
  * Minho - power mimicry.
  * Changbin - temperature control.
  * Hyunjin - voice mimicry.
  * Jisung - levitation.
  * Felix - healing.
  * Seungmin - minor mind control.
  * Jeongin - telekinesis.



In all honesty, if you had asked Woojin what he thought, at the time, he wouldn’t have had any doubts. Would have thought, after meeting the others, that things might actually be fine. Because they were all, like he was, looking for a place like this. Somewhere safe.

It just happened that they weren’t as safe as they thought.

They split up to search the building. They were told they had free reign of it, after all, and it was difficult to ignore the size of the building. To want to see what it had to offer.

“I think we should explore.”

“But we all just go here, don’t we need to arrange rooms or something?”

“Then we can meet back here in an hour!”

At first, they’re in groups. Woojin is with Hyunjin, Jisung, and Jeongin, as they explore.

“Do you think the person who owns this place also has a power?” Hyunjin asks as they enter what must be the third study they’ve seen.

“Like they realized people like them needed help, and decided to use what is apparently a massive bank account, to do it?” Jisung pauses, as if considering his own theory. “Maybe?”

“I’m still worried about the fact we haven’t met them…” Jeongin mutters the words, but they're still loud enough to hear.

“I can see why, but between the nine of us we’ll probably be fine.” Woojin shrugs. “A few of us have pretty useful powers.”

“Some of us?” Hyunjin turns to face Woojin, frowning.

“Well my power isn’t much use,” Woojin says, then sighs. “I can’t even control what I see.”

“Oh!” Jeongin’s exclamation get’s their attention. “I wanted to ask about that.”

“My power?”

“Yeah!”

“Well... basically if I’m here, in this room, I can look into the past of this locatioon. But I can only see a few seconds of the past, I can only try once every twelve hours, and… I can’t actually control how far back I look.”

“So it’s random?” Jisung frowns at Woojin.

“Mostly. I can sort of focus on a period of time, but it doesn’t get more specific than, “this year,” or sometimes, “this month,” if I’m lucky.”

“Sucks.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I can’t really control my power, either,” Hyunjin offers, to which Woojin shakes his head.

“Thanks.”

Over time, over rooms, they separate further, until everyone is on their own.

When they return to the main hall, there’s eight of them.

One of them is missing.

They wait, of course. Believe maybe he got lost, or distracted, or…

Two hours later, patience is gone, and worry sets in. They set off, again in groups, to search. Chan is the first to leave in search of him, with Felix and Changbin following behind. Then, one by one, they split into groups and leave too. Woojin, Seungmin, and Minho are the one’s who find their missing companion.

Or, what _was_  him.

“Oh my _god_.” Seungmin is the first to speak, horror colouring his tone. One of them is dead, only a few hours after they’d arrived. It’s weird, really, to see someone you were talking to only a couple of hours earlier, laying there, dead.

But there Hyunjin is.

“What the fuck?” Despite speaking, Minho makes no move to enter to room. In fact, none of them move, standing outside of the room. It appears to have been a storage room, of some sort, filled with boxes and covered furniture.

“Oh, look,” someone else's voice, “some of the others. Hey, guys, did you find anything?”

None of them speak.

“Uh, hey, are you guys okay?” Another voice. “What’s- holy shit.’

So there’s eight of them.

They gather, again, in the main hall. Changbin is the first to try and leave, entirely, only to find he- they- cant. The front door has been sealed shut, and the windows are no better. They check other exits, only to the same result. Nothing they do, to try and break out, has any effect, either.

So they stand there, in the main hall, unsure what to do. Until a phone- old, probably as old as the building- starts ringing.

“Should we… answer that?” Though hesitation is clear in Felix’s tone, they can’t really just ignore it. Not after _that_. So, eventually, Chan moves to answer it.

So there are eight people, alive in the building. One person dead. And, one of them responsible. That’s what they’re told. Told by their _host_ , the one who invited them, that they’re going to participate in a _game_  of catching the killer.

The rules, it seems, are simple. Described so basically, as if they aren’t being forced to participate. But they are, because one of them had done that, and wouldn’t stop just because they refused to do anything about it. So, there are eight of them, and they’re going to play this, “game,” of the host's.

Their host has the power to make people fall asleep. They aren’t _in_  the building, apparently, but they’re close enough to use it. And they will, every night, on every one of them except two. One of those two will kill the other of them, until they’re gone. Or, rather, they’ll do so as long as they’re alive. But, see, it wouldn’t be a game if the others couldn’t win.

So they win by catching the killer. Voting for them, during the day. If they’re right, he’ll be killed, and the rest can leave. If they’re wrong? They add to the body count, further, without stopping more death.

It’s cruel. Undeniably so.

“They- they said we have two hours to investigate.” Chan looks sick, as he relays this information.

“That’s so fucked up!” Jisung is the first of them to respond. “One of you seriously- actually killed someone?! And agreed to this?!”

“One of us? Like you aren’t a suspect too!” Seungmin points at the other, emphasizing his words.

“Guys!” Chan goes ignored as the others join in. A shouting match that’s entirely pointless.

“We should use our time-” Woojin tries to reason with Minho, the nearest to him, only to go just as ignored.

“We should try and find another way out of here.”

“Everyone stop!” Chan’s shouting finally reaches over the rest of the yelling, cutting it off. “Arguing like this is going to do nothing to help us! We barely know each other, there’s no way we can start pointing fingers and be right. We should- it’s best we start investigating until we figure some other way out of this situation. Just letting whoever did this go free, because we were too busy fighting to stop them, will only make things worse.”

Woojin nods, finally able to voice his own opinion on the matter. “I agree. There’s nothing we can do standing around here, like this.”

“So, what? We- we check on the corpse? Or the room?” Jeongin’s hesitance is understandable, honestly. Woojin isn’t eager to investigate, either, but there’s not much else they _can_  do. After all; they only have a few hours.

“If you really can’t handle it, we probably don’t _all_  need to. As long as enough of us do…” Felix trails off, then shakes his head. “As long as more than one of us does, it should be fine, right?”

“Right…”

“But you know what one of us _can_  do?” Jinsung draws their attention, again. “Look into the past.”

“Oh,” Woojin blinks once, twice, processing the fact that his power actually _could_  be helpful. “But I can’t really control it well enough to guarantee that it’ll even give us info about this.”

“It’s better than the zero information we have right now, right?”

“I guess…”

 

The victim- _Hyunjin_  was killed by a blow to the head. There are blood streaks leading to where they found him, so he likely wasn’t killed there, but moved, and he had to have died sometime after separating from Woojin, Jisung, and Jeongin, and before everyone gathered in the main hall, leaving about a twenty minute time period to have done so. Unfortunately, there’s not a single person who has an alibi for that time, leaving them without much to go on. It wasn’t like they could check things in the room- both where he is, and where the blood comes from- for fingerprints, or anything.

Woojin’s power proves to be little help, too. He can only use it once, during the time they have, and they all agree the scene of the crime- that being, where the streaks of blood lead- is the better option, but he doesn’t get any info from that except that Hyunjin was definitely _there,_  at some point. His power only shows him Hyunjin by himself, meaning it was before the attacker got there.

It narrows down the time, further, but that doesn’t help when knowing when it happened wasn’t helping in the first place.

They spend their entire time looking for, and lacking, information. The murder weapon- a lamp- tells them nothing. The fact Hyunjin had been moved, tells them nothing. The way he was killed and when doesn’t narrow down the suspects any.

“So, we’re supposed to choose someone.”

“Technically we don’t have to.”

“But if we don’t someone is definitely going to die, right?!”

“So, _what_? We kill someone who’s potentially _innocent_ for that reason?”

They make no progress. The phone rings again, two hours later, and this time they’re given new instructions. To find, choose, and stay in one of the many rooms around the building. It doesn’t have to be a bedroom, they’ll be knocked out no matter where they are, just any room by themselves. Unable to do much other than follow these instructions, they do.

When they wake, will another of them be dead?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no voting just yet, since this is the ~establishing~ chapter  
> Woojin is our MC, so he's probably not the killer, that's cool.  
> but who is?  
> anyway i said this one would be more deadly than the astro ones were, whoops  
> i had a lot of trouble writing this chapter for some reason
> 
> its not a vote but i would be interested to hear who you predict i might kill next. bc i already know who.


	2. Day 2 - Vote 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And then there were seven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's happening.........the voting.  
> oh and someone else died but we expected that

There are phones in nearly every room of the building. Woojin chooses a room at random, not really thinking it will matter, in the end. When he wakes, it’s to the ringing of a phone. Briefly he considers ignoring it, but thinks better of that. Ignoring the problem isn’t going to make it go away. Ignoring that someone is a murderer wont stop them from being one.

So he answers, only to hear their _hosts_  voice tell him to go to the main hall. When he arrives, the sixth person to arrive, those who were already there look up, greet him, and then return to silently waiting. Waiting for the final two- _hopefully two_.

Felix is the last to arrive, the seventh person. They should have predicted this, but none of them can accept it. Stand there, waiting, until the phone in the main hall rings again. Chan, realizing he’s sort of taken on the roll of answering for the group, is the one to answer. And, when he does, they’re told what they should already know.

One of them is dead.

Jisung is missing.

“They said- we- they said we can all go into the library on the fourth floor, now. That’s- it’s where we’ll… see Jisung.”

Nobody moves. Nobody _wants_  to move.

“They said we have an hour to investigate, and then another to vote…” Chan finally hangs up the phone, staring at it like it’s burned him.

The second they see him, it’ll be real. If they go, if they investigate, it’ll be real. Nobody moves, for a moment, and then Woojin takes a step towards the stairs. Then another, and another. “If we- if we ignore it, it wont help. Pretending nothing’s wrong wont save us.”

“You’re… right.” Chan follows, and Felix after him. Then Minho, and Seungmin, and Jeongin, and Changbin.

 

When they arrive, finding Jisung on the ground there, Felix immediately runs forward. His hands glow softly with a light blue, as he apparently tries to heal the other, but nothing happens.

“It- there isn’t anything I can do, he’s probably been dead a while, already.”

Here’s the information they can gather, immediately:

  * Jisung is dead. They knew that, really, but seeing him is worse, somehow.
  * Another phone call from their host- Chan nearly slams the phone down, when that call is over- tells them that his neck has snapped.
  * They find Jisung on the ground, looking as if he’d fallen to the ground. There’s a broken light fixture above him. The light fixture’s that aren’t broken have an open bottom, and are surrounded by bars of metal, causing them to give off an odd pattern of light. Something could have been hung through them, in theory, and that probably would have broken the fixture in question.



“What… what do we do?” Jeongin stands at the back of the group, as far from the body as possible.

“Look for evidence?” Changbin is only slightly closer than the other, clearly not wanting to go near Jisung, either.

“Well, let’s start with this.” Seungmin moves forward, kneeling next to Jisung. He grabs one of Jisung’s arms, lifting it to pull back his sleeve to reveal what was partially visible before. “His writs have bruises.”

“So he was tied up?” Minho asks, frowning.

“But they snapped his neck, right?” Felix’s frown mirrors Minho’s. “Why tie him up?”

“Maybe they were worried he’d levitate away before they could?” Changbin shifts, looking around the room.

“But- but how would they have managed that?” Chan shakes his head.

“Maybe they didn’t use rope? There isn’t any lying around.” Changbin says, eyeing Chan.

“What?”

“Vines could do the same thing, if someone with plant manipulation did it.”

“I didn’t-” Chan stops, shaking his head. “Even if I know that, saying it wont convince you on its own, huh? Woojin, can you see anything?”

“Huh?” Woojin pauses. He hadn’t actually thought about whether or not enough time had passed. He turns, looking for a clock, only for Jeongin to speak.

“I looked when we woke up, it’s been more than thirteen hours.”

“Oh.” Woojin nods, accepting this. That would explain why he feels so sick- a lack of food isn’t counteracted by being unconscious for that long- and meant he could use his power again. Which he does.

Woojin finds himself tumbling to the ground, shock and horror setting in at the image he sees. He can put together everything they know, now, but making himself explain it is going to be difficult.

“Woojin?!”

Woojin can’t tell if Jisung was alive, or dead, in the vision he saw. But one thing is for sure: he understands how the other died. The light fixture, before it was broken, was just like the rest. There was a rope, run through its bars, that wrapped around his neck, and instead of being tied to the fixture, it was tied at each end to one of his wrists. Effectively, his own weight snapped his neck, using the rope. He should have been able to hold himself up, for a time, with his levitation, but they didn’t know the limits of his powers. He might not have been able to hold himself up forever, or something else could have been done to him to prevent it.

Relaying what he saw is difficult. Every time he tries to describe it, he sees it again, and feels sick to his empty stomach. Still, he does. It takes a few minutes, and he stumbles over his words a number of times, but Woojin explains how Jisung died.

“That’s-”

“Horrible.” Felix finishes Changbin’s statement.

“How- how did they manage to do that to him?” Minho asks, not really expecting any of them to answer.

“There are plenty of ladders and stools, in here, that they could have used to reach him.” Chan frowns in thought. His voice lacks the emotion it held, until then, as if hearing this has forced him to entirely focus on information. It’s understandable, honestly.

“Most of us could have done it,” Seungmin says, softly. “Most- if- there are ways a lot of us could have done it.”

“Yeah, like if someone was telekinetic, they could have tied the rope around him without needing to reach him.” Minho’s words cause a startled, offended and horrified, gasp from Jeongin.

“Excuse me?!”

“It’s just a theory.”

“Maybe you did it! You could have copied my powers while I was knocked out and done it!”

“Whoa- guys- stop.” Chan holds up his hands, trying to quiet them. “Fighting wont help us figure this out.”

“I don’t know if there’s much more information we can get out of this,” Seungmin says, breathing a sigh. “We know how he died, but that- but we don’t know much else that could help.”

“So… what?” Changbin frowns. “What do we do?”

“Talk about it?” Felix offers, shifting his weight nervously. “We- we have to vote, right? On who… did this? Because they said one of us… did this.”

“Should we… go back to the main hall?” Seungmin asks. “I don’t really want to have this discussion in here.”

“I agree,” Woojin says, nodding. “I can’t keep looking at him.”

 

So they move back into the main hall. The phone rings, again, and Chan gives an annoyed huff before answering. At the end of their time, they’ll get another call, and then they have to vote. Whatever they decide during that time will be final, and decide what happens. After that, they can eat or bathe, or whatever else they need to do to survive before they are next put to sleep. (As if their survival is important to their host.)

Nobody really want to think about any of that, when another of them has just died.

But they _do_  have to talk about it.

“Okay, but, I have a concern?” Changbin starts, turning to Seungmin. “Your power is mind control, right? How do we know you wont just force us to vote with whatever you choose?”

“Okay, well, kinda fucked up you just assumed I would do that.” Seungmin frowns. “I wont.”

“But we don’t know that,” Felix argues, only to be glared at in response.

Chan speaks, then, still on the phone. “Apparently our powers wont work in the main hall.”

“Seriously?” Minho is clearly incredulous, in his tone. At this, Jeongin stands and looks around the room.

“What are you doing, Jeongin?” Changbin asks, while Jeongin shakes his head.

“I was trying to move- well- anything. But, nothing.”

There’s a pause, where the others are presumably trying their luck with their powers too, but nothing. “I guess that solves that, then.”

They gather in a circle, sitting on the floor. For a moment, they’re silent. Unwilling to point fingers or accuse anyone. Then, all at once, accusations start.

“I think Jeongin did it,” Minho says. Next to him, Jeongin snaps his attention to Minho.

“Why me?!”

“You have the prefect power for it.”

“You have every one of our powers!”

“Actually, now that I think about it, why didn’t Minho copy Woojin’s power, and also look into the past? Maybe we could have gotten more clues?” Felix’s question has everyone turning to Minho. There’s a pause, significant in length, before Minho speaks.

“I’m a fucking idiot.” Minho runs a hand through his hair, frustrated with himself, presumably. “Should I go back there and try?”

“A little late for that,” Changbin says frowning at him. “Besides, now we can’t trust you would actually tell us what you saw, if you did.”

“Oh, but we trust what _Woojin_ says?”

“Me?” Woojin blinks in surprise, shaking his head. “You don’t… have to believe me, I guess. But I told you what I saw.”

“And what he said adds up,” Jeongin adds. “Seems like you just want to accuse everyone else, Minho.”

“Yeah, it is a little suspicious, you know?” Seungmin says, shrugging when Minho glares at him. “But, then, you could really just be that dumb.”

“He also could have copied Seungmin’s power, and made Jisung stay there while he killed him.”

“That wouldn’t work,” Seungmin says, simply. “I can’t make someone die. It’s _minor_  mind control, remember? If Jisung knew he was going to die, it wouldn’t work.”

“Okay, but still! Minho is the most likely person,” Jeongin says.

“You’re pushing that a bit much.” Felix frowns.

“You were the one who brought up why he was suspicious in the first place?” At Seungmin’s words, Felix nods.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I think he did it.”

“It would be a bit too obvious,” Changbin says, frowning. “I mean, wouldn’t he just lie about his power, if he was planning to kill someone?”

“Maybe he did. We haven’t actually seen it.” Chan’s words surprise the group, partially because he had been so quiet. “I mean… we can’t actually prove that any of us told the truth about our powers, except maybe Felix.”

“What do you want me to do, prove it? Fine, let’s leave the main hall and I will.”

“Even if you told the truth, Minho, that wouldn’t prove you were innocent,” Chan points out.

“Woojin’s been pretty quiet. Figure something out?” Changbin’s words cause the others to turn to Woojin.

“I haven’t. That’s the problem. No matter how much we argue, we’re going in circles. We don’t know _anything_  for sure, except that one of us did it.”

“You’re right-”

It’s amazing how quickly time can pass without you realizing it. The phone ringing cuts Chan off, and he glares at it, clearly annoyed. While he’s busy glaring at it, Felix answers it instead, but they all know what it means. Their time to debate is up, they have to vote.

“I guess… we have to vote, don’t we?” Chan mutters.

“If we all vote for someone different, then we can choose no one?” Felix suggestion get’s little response.

“We have to do _something_. One of us _killed_  someone- killed Jisung and Hyunjin.” Seungmin shakes his head. “We should…vote, right?”

“I think we _have to_.” Changbin nods.

“Okay, well, I vote it was Jeongin.” Minho’s words aren’t surprising, though Woojin feels like they _should_ be. Jeongin fails to form words, for a moment.

“I vote- I’m- I think it was Minho,” Jeongin says, finally.

“I agree,” Seungmin says. “My vote is also for Minho. He’s too suspicious.”

“Fuck you.”

“I don’t think he is,” Changbin says, shaking his head. “I’m- I’m sorry, but Jeongin is more suspicious. My vote's for him.”

“He couldn’t even go near the body, because it freaked him out,” Seungmin argues, frowning.

“It’s possible that was guilt, not fear.”

“You think whoever did this would be  _guilty_  about it?!”

“I- uh- also think it could be Jeongin,” Felix’s words are quiet, unsure.

“I doubt it was Jeongin.” Chan shakes his head, before turning to Minho with an expression that seems apologetic. “I have to vote for Minho.”

“You’re just being soft because he’s a kid,” Minho says, glaring. “Whatever, now we’re tied. What happens then?”

The phone rings again, startling them. Their host explains one more rule, for the game. _If the vote is a tie, nobody dies._

“So either Woojin chooses one of them,” Changbin starts, “or votes for someone else, so neither have four votes.”

“But- then- if he does that, someone else will definitely die, right?!” Jeongin’s voice shakes, as he speaks.

“Stop pretending to be scared.” Minho’s harshness nearly feels unwarranted, but he’s probably just as scared as Jeongin appears to be.

“Then… Woojin?”

With attention on him, Woojin realizes he has to make a choice. Vote for either Minho or Jeongin, condemning them to death, but potentially saving everyone else, _or_ vote for someone else and guarantee that someone else dies next time they're knocked out.

He’s just not sure what he _should_  do. Still, he has to do _something_ , so…

He votes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should Woojin:  
>  **Vote for Minho**  
>  **Vote for Jeongin**  
>  **Vote for Someone Else**
> 
> I feel like I should establish right away that not every time a vote comes up, will the killer be an option. i wont tell you if they are or arent right now, but just know it's always an option they aren't. then again, maybe they are. who knows? if they were every time it would get obvious fast, though, so.  
> what to do what to do
> 
> btw if you don't think it's minho or jeongin, you can also tell me who you do think it is. for fun.
> 
> oh and yeah booksmusicmovies was right about me killing jisung how did you know


	3. Day 2 - The result

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Woojin wonders if he'll regret this, but...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey welcome back to this no-good time, with stray kids.
> 
> Majority vote was.......... vote for someone else!

He can’t do it. Woojin can’t bring himself to vote for Minho or Jeongin, not with the information he has. Or, the lack of information they have, really. He can’t _kill_ one of them, when they might be innocent.

So he lets their votes remain a tie. “I vote- I vote for myself.”

“What?!” Changbin’s reaction is the only audible one, but the looks on everyone else’s faces are equally surprised.

“Is that a confession?” Seungmin asks, frowning at Woojin.

“No I just- I don’t know if I believe either of them did it, and I’d feel… _wrong_ voting for anyone when I don’t know that they- when I can honestly believe they did it.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Minho jumps to his feet. “You’ve basically just guaranteed someone else dies!”

“Instead of what? Possibly killing two people?”

The phone rings, again. Chan gives an annoyed huff, before answering it. It isn’t like they don’t know what’s coming. “They said the voting is over. We’re free to eat, or whatever else, until the next call.”

“I don’t have an appetite.” Felix words get a number of nods, nobody else seeming to feel any better.

“We can’t just not eat.” Chan hangs up the phone. “Starving to death might just be worse.”

“Are we even sure we can trust the food here?” Jeongin’s question gets silence, until Seungmin speaks.

“What would be the point in poisoning us? After setting this whole- _thing_ up?”

“Yeah, I guess…”

Still, nobody actually moves. Silence falls over them, realization that they hadn’t made any progress. Two of them were dead, and they had done nothing to stop the culprit. What was going through their mind, now? Is this what they wanted?

“I- uh- I can cook.” Woojin stands, finally. “Assuming you’re not too mad at me, or- well- whatever else would make you not trust that.”

“It’s fine. It’d be really stupid to kill us like that, if you were the killer.” Changbin shrugs, standing too. “Need help?”

“Maybe a bit.”

So Woojin heads off to find a kitchen, Changbin in tow. Cooking takes enough of his attention that he’s not thinking _too much_  about everything else, but not enough that he isn’t thinking about it at all. Had he done the right thing, voting for himself? Someone was still going to die, and he knew that when he did it, but what should he have done? If he voted for Minho or Jeongin, and they turned out _not_ to be the killer, all he would have done was let two people die. Right?

There’s a dining hall, not far from the kitchen. Instead of one big table, there’s a number of smaller tables. Woojin and Changbin drop the food onto one, and let the others who have joined them there get their own food. Not everyone is there. Seungmin, Minho, and Jeongin are absent.

Woojin seats himself at one of the table, alone, and tries to force himself to eat. He, too, is lacking an appetite. How could he be hungry, in this situation? Under this amount of stress? While Woojin tries to make himself eat, it seems Chan has taken to try and get the others to eat. Once he’s forced a plate of food at Felix and Changbin, he leave the dining hall, saying- just loud enough that Woojin hears- that he’s going to try and get the others to come, too.

Woojin’s thoughts wonder. Who would the killer go after next? They wouldn’t go for someone who could be mistaken for the murder, would they? Would that do them any good? Or, maybe, they didn’t care. Were doing this at random? Woojin’s stomach twists. He’s guaranteed someones death. Whoever dies next, will that also be his fault?

“Hey, Woojin?” Woojin startles at the voice, looking up to find Minho taking a seat at the table. When had Minho gotten there? Woojin had been so caught up in his thoughts, he didn’t notice.

“Uh, yes?”

“I- well- I wanted to thank you?”

“Did I… do something?”

“It’s about the vote.” Minho sighs, avoiding Woojin’s eyes. “If you had voted for me, obviously I would have been- it wouldn’t have helped.”

“Oh.” Woojin doesn't know if that's true.

“And- okay- so I was thinking… if Jeongin had died, because we voted for him, and it turned out he _wasn’t_ the killer, I would have been responsible for that, wouldn’t I? Because I was the first to accuse him and just… kept doing it.”

“Do you… not think he did it now?”

“I don’t know. I still don’t trust him. Maybe he did. But I can’t honestly say I wanted to vote for anyone’s death.” Minho shrugs, his frown deepening. “If we find out who the killer is, and it _isn’t_ him, then I’ll apologize. Not a second before, though. It still could have been him.”

Woojin wants to believe Minho. Wants to believe that he’s really considering this situation, and possibly being wrong. But he doesn’t. Woojin finds himself thinking over Minho’s word, and worrying they’re just being said to get Woojin to believe Minho, so he wont vote for him in the future, if it comes to that, again. Or to get the other's to do the same, since they're close enough to hear the conversation.

“Anyway, that was all.” Minho stands, leaving Woojin alone again. Woojin watches the other make his way to the table with food, before turning back to his own plate.

Was Minho being honest? Was that all a guise? Woojin glance around the room, finding Minho going to talk to the others that are present. He can’t entirely make out their conversation, but it seems to be something similar. About what he’ll do in the future, rather than the vote. After all, Felix and Changbin had voted for Jeongin, too.

Chan returns, dragging Jeongin and Seungmin along with him. Finally, with everyone there, Chan grabs food himself, and drops down beside Woojin.

“You’re back.”

“This situation is stressful enough, without them worrying me about their health.”

“But one of them… did this.”

“And when we figure out who, I’ll be angry. Until then I- I can’t just ignore the rest of them, because one of them did it.” Chan frowns. “Well, sorry, that includes you.”

“Which part?”

“Both.”

Woojin nods. There wasn’t any way for them to trust each other. Even those who seemed less suspicious. It was natural he wouldn’t entirely trust Woojin, either. “That makes sense.”

“Are you sure not voting for one of them was a good idea?” The words surprise Woojin.

“What?”

“If it was one of them, you’ll regret it, later.”

“I don’t think there’s a situation where I wont have regrets.”

“Uh- Woojin?” It’s Jeongin this time. He joins Chan and Woojin, at the table.

“Yes?”

“Thank you for not voting for me.”

“Oh, um… I don’t know if you should thank me for that.”

“Still…”

 

Once everyone has eaten as much as they can force themselves to, they set out from the kitchen without much of a goal in mind. Woojin finds himself walking alongside Seungmin, down the third floor hallways.

“Do you think… I made a bad call?” Woojin frowns, staring at the ground as he walks.

“I don’t know.” Seungmin pauses, but Woojin can tell he has more to say. “Honestly, I’m worried about what’s going to happen, next. But if- _when_ we find out who did this, are you going to regret it, if it was one of them?”

“Maybe.”

“Then maybe you made a bad call, for yourself.”

“I think I would have regretted _killing_ one of them, more.”

They separate shortly after that, Seungmin saying he’s going to find somewhere more comfortable to wake up in, and heading downstairs. Woojin can understand that, after waking on the ground earlier meant he didn’t feel great. If he wasn’t so stressed out about the fact one of them _died_ that probably would have bothered him even more. Deciding Seungmin has the right idea, Woojin sets out to do the same, going upstairs instead. On the way, he runs into Felix.

“Oh, Woojin.” Though Felix smiles, there’s an obvious worry to it. One that Woojin would usually be concerned about, were the situation they were in not so obviously the cause.

“Hey.”

“What are you up to?”

“Looking for a bedroom in this place. If I’m going to be knocked out, it might as well be comfortable.”

“Oh.” A pause. “I hadn’t actually thought about that.”

“Neither did I, until Seungmin said the same thing.”

“I honestly don’t wanna think about the next time we’re knocked out, at all.” Felix frowns, staring at one of the hallway’s walls. Woojin can understand that. Because thinking about that, means thinking about what’s going to happen, while they’re unconscious.

About someone else dying.

“I- uh- is it bad I keep wondering who- who’s going to be next?” It is, but it’s also not surprising.

“I’m worried about it, too,” Woojin says.

A phone rings. Woojin flinches, and Felix turns to the sound with clear worry. It’s coming from one of the nearby rooms, since there isn’t a phone in the hallway, and immediately Woojin fills with dread.

“I can guess what that means.” Woojin moves towards the door, and opens it. After a pause, he finally moves into the room, and answers the phone. As expected their host says, once again, for everyone to find a room and stay there, alone. Woojin relays this to Felix, who hesitates before making his way towards another nearby room.

Felix pauses, at the door. “Hey, since we’re so close by…”

“Yeah?”

“When we wake up, let’s check on each other first, okay?” There’s a concern in Felix’s voice that Woojin can’t quite place. Is he worried Woojin will die, or that he himself will?

“Okay.” Woojin can’t lie: immediately confirming someone alive might ease some of his worries. Even if someone else hadn’t made it, at least he knew one person did, before searching for the rest of the group.

With a nod, Felix enters the room, closing the door behind him. Woojin closes the door to his own room, and seats himself on a chair. The room is what appears to be an office, with a desk covered in paperwork. None of it tells him much, honestly. No names, or anything that would give him any clues to their situation. With a sigh, Woojin resigns himself to waiting until he’s knocked out, and wakes, next.

Except…

Twenty minutes pass, the clock on the wall ticking away, but he’s still awake. Was it taking everyone that long to find a room, or…

The door to Woojin’s room opens, and he jumps to his feet. Registering who’s there makes his stomach twist. It's one of the others. But, no, maybe he’s jumping to conclusions, and he isn’t-

“Sorry, Woojin. Your power is just too capable of revealing me, you know?”

“I- I don’t-” Woojin shouts, then. Yells as loudly as he can, but…

Nobody can hear him when they're all unconscious.

 

The phone is ringing, already, by the time they wake up. With his promise to Woojin in mind- that they’ll meet up first- Felix ignores the phone. Says a loud, “I get it,” as he leaves the room. Confirming that someone was alive, immediately- that they were there, and hadn’t moved- would ease his worries, he thinks. Wouldn’t stop them- couldn’t, when someone else must have died- but help them.

Except-

Felix falls to the ground, first, upon seeing Woojin. Then, in a second, he rushes forward. Let’s his power try to undo the wounds that he logically knows are too horrible- and too old- for him to fix.

“No- no, _no_ you- you can’t-”

It doesn’t work. He sits there, trying to heal wounds that wont heal, until he hears someone else scream.

“Oh my _ _f_ ucking god!”_

The others arrive, to find Felix crouched beside Woojin’s lifeless body.

There are six of them left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh i guess we need a new main character, huh  
> Felix, you're up.
> 
> I'm so sorry for this. But- like- woojin's power is way too inconvenient to the killer, you know? I mean they hid the rope and everything last time to make the investigation harder and then woojin comes in like "hey i know how jisung died" ruining it.  
> I considered going straight into the investigation, but this felt like a good place to end a chapter. I'll start writing the next one right away, so there's no vote for now.  
> Uh, you can give me more theories, if you want. I like hearing your guy's thoughts on this.  
> I tried to give everyone a least something to do in this chapter? but some of them are harder for me to write than others.


	4. Day 3 - The Second Vote

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Six people remain, and another investigation must happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i say its day 3, but its still the same day, time wise.  
> whoops.  
> if you slept its a different day, i guess.

So the third victim is Woojin. The five remaining- that aren’t Felix- find Felix crouched beside Woojin’s body, trying desperately to heal wounds that wont heal. Not that it would help if they did. Woojin’s heart as already stopped- probably stopped a while ago- and closing his wounds wont fix that. But Felix can’t accept that. Not when he had been _right there_ , just a few rooms away.

But he hadn’t heard anything. Hadn’t been able to do anything. And how was he going to explain that? How could the others not suspect him, when he had been right there the entire time? At least, he thinks they’ll suspect him. He would suspect himself, if he wasn’t distinctly aware he didn’t do it.

Except; Chan pulls him away from the body. Speaks before Felix can question this. “You were trying to heal him?”

“Yes?”

“Then it’s… too late, isn’t it?” With a sigh, resigned to this, Chan turns to the others. “We have to investigate.”

“Someone should question Felix,” Changbin says, frowning. “Not necessarily because I think he did it, but… _well,_ he was the only one already here.”

“I didn’t-”

“Saying that wont help. Just tell us what happened.” Changbin pauses, then turns to Jeongin. “You don’t want to look at the body, either, right?”

“No…”

“Then let’s talk to Felix, and leave that- uh- that part to the others?” Realization sets in for Felix, that the other really just wants a reason not to look at the body. To look at _Woojin_. So he nods, and the three step into the hallway while the others investigate properly.

“So, uh, how did you get here so quickly? Why did you get here, instead of going to the main hall?” Jeongin asks, glancing between Felix and the door they just left from.

“I- uh- we were together, when the call to go to different rooms happened. So we both stayed in nearby rooms. I was- we said we’d meet up, when we woke up, before going to the main hall. But when I woke up- when I went to that room, he was already…”

“You didn’t hear anything, before then?” Changbin frowns.

Felix shakes his head. “I was unconscious.”

“Right… since it was something forced on us, you probably wouldn’t be able to wake up for any reason.”

“If I had, I could have saved him.” If he had just been awake, he could have done something.

“Still, why would they- why kill Woojin?” Jeongin glances at the room, again, before he speaks again. “I mean, were they hoping we’d suspect Felix?”

“Or they just didn’t want Woojin’s powers to get in their way.”

Felix looks down at his hands, covered in blood from him trying to heal Woojin’s wounds. Why Woojin, specifically? Was it because of his power? Because the killer was scared he would be able to reveal them? If that was the case, why not kill him _first?_   _Before_ he was ever able to use his power. They knew each other powers from the beginning- at least, what everyone has said their powers were- since they added those to their introductions.

Had they not realized it would be a problem, before? Or was there some reason Hyunjin and Jisung were more of a problem? Or did they just _feel like it_?

“Felix?”

“Huh?” Felix looks up, at Changbin, who frowns at him.

“Are you okay? You’ve been… staring at your hands.”

“Oh… yeah, sorry. I’m… fine.”

“Maybe you should wash your hands?” Jeongin’s suggestion makes sense, so Felix nods, but he doesn’t know that getting rid of the blood will actually make him feel any better.

 

The circumstances surrounding Woojin’s death, as far as they can tell from their investigation, are as follows.

  * Woojin was stabbed through his neck- from the back- using a weapon that had been mounted to a wall, in the hallway. They can tell it was from the back, based on the way the wound formed.
  * They find the weapon, haphazardly tossed under the table in the room, and find it’s original place was in the hallway, because of the outline of dust left where it once was.
  * There’s blood on his hands. One of his hands is limp close enough to his neck that it’s possible he was holding it. That he was alive long enough to react.
  * He was found on the ground, facing away from the door, and there are no signs he put up a fight. Outside of the blood on his hands- which is most likely his own- at least. Either because he didn’t have a chance, or because he was caught off guard, they don’t know.
  * Felix, who was in a nearby room, wasn’t aware of anything that happened, and found Woojin as he was.
  * Woojin has additional wounds- bruising on his head- that may or may not have come from his falling to the ground. They can’t rule out the possibility they were from the attack, however they’re on the front of his head.
  * There’s blood splattered around his body, but they can’t assume the cause for that.



The problem is, none of them know who best fits as a suspect.

 

After investigating for a while longer, and turning up no new information, they eventually trail back into the main hall. Once again, the group sits in a circle on the ground, dreading the discussion they’re about to have.

“We have to… talk about this.” Seungmin’s tone is resigned, a deep frown on his face. “Let’s just… start.”

“The weapon is pretty heavy, and metal, so it’s kinda weird Woojin wasn’t facing his attacker. Like- did he not notice? How was he caught off guard?” Chan questions cause another pause in the group.

Then, Minho speaks. “If they weren’t holding the weapon, that wouldn’t have been a problem.”

“Are- are you really accusing me again?!” Jeongin snaps his head in Minho’s direction, and the other shakes his head.

“You’re definitely a suspect, still, but you’re not the only one who could have done that.”

“What do you mean?” Felix asks, unable to figure out what Minho is implying.

“I mean it’s possible Seungmin did it.”

“What?” Seungmin turns to Minho, wide-eyed. “What do you mean _I_ could have done it?”

“I mean that you could have gone to him, without a weapon, told him to turn around and stand still, and then went to get it.”

“He obviously would have suspected that would lead to his death, in that situation, and it wouldn’t have worked!”

“Assuming you weren’t lying about the limits of your power.”

“You really just want to accuse everyone else, huh?!” Seungmin gives a scoff of a laugh. “Always the first to point fingers. Well you could have done it, too, using Jeongin’s powers. Neither of you would even have to attack him from behind, actually, since you could just turn him around.”

“You don’t think he was attacked from behind?” Changbin asks, incredulous.

“Think about it; the last murder was done strangely, too, right? Like hiding the rope and killing Jisung in that weird way. We only knew for sure how it happened, because of Woojin.” Seungmin pauses, letting this information set in. “So they could have killed Woojin strangely, and moved the body, in order to mislead us.”

“But if they moved him, wouldn’t they have blood on them?” Changbin frowns, then motions around the group. “Nobody here is dressed differently than last time we woke up, but there’s no blood. Except on Felix, but we know where that came from.”

Felix frowns, at that. “Someone using telekinesis could have moved him without getting blood on themselves.”

“Someone like Jeongin, you mean?” Minho motions to the person in question, who glares.

“Or _you_.”

“Or me. But I know it wasn’t me.”

“Well I know it wasn’t me.”

“You’re just assuming he was moved, in the first place,” Chan says, bringing the others attention to him. “We can’t just start assuming stuff, or we’ll end up missing something. Whether or not he was moved, we can only guess.”

“Did- uh- anyone look at the time?” At Felix’s question, there’s another pause, before Changbin speaks.

“Yeah?”

“How long had passed, since we were knocked out?”

“Two hours.”

“That’s a lot less time, this time.” Chan frowns, apparently in thought. “Why would it be so much less time?”

“Maybe they let so much time pass, before, so it would be fair for Woojin?”

“Don’t need to wait that long, when he’s dead, huh?” In any other context, the words might have come out joking, but Chan’s voice shakes, as he speaks.

“Why does the time matter?” Minho turns to Felix, who shakes his head.

“If it had been less time, we could have tried to figure out who would was able to get there in time to do it. But it was long enough that I guess that doesn’t matter.”

“If it had, you realize you would have been the prime suspect?”

“So I should avoid evidence because it might make me look bad? Then whoever did this will get away with it!” Felix’s voice is louder than he- or the others- expects. “We need to- to look at _everything!”_

“Okay, you’re right.” Chan nods. “In fact, we should also compare this to the last case. And Hyunjin’s, too.”

“Whoever did it, would have to have been able to stop Jisung and Woojin from either noticing what they were doing, or fighting back if they did notice,” Changbin says. “Jisung would either have needed to be stopped, or caught too quickly to get away. And Woojin was either caught off guard, or attacked when he otherwise couldn’t fight back. At least, that’s what we agreed seemed most likely, when we were investigating.”

“No two of them died the same way, either.” Jeongin’s voice is quiet, but still loud enough to be heard. When he continues, he’s a bit louder. “Hyunjin was hit on the head, Jisung- his neck was- they hung him, to snap his neck. And Woojin was stabbed, through the neck, right?”

“Right.” Seungmin nods. “But does that help us?”

“It means all their deaths- well- because none of them were killed the same way, something else has to be the same, right?”

“Something else?” Seungmin pause. “Oh, if there’s something that’s the same, between them, then it might point to the person’s power. And if we know that, we can narrow it down to two.”

“Two?” Chan asks, before shaking his head. “Right, Minho.”

“I didn’t- fine, okay, my power makes me automatically suspicious no matter what we learn, huh?”

“So, between the three-” Felix is cut off by the phone ringing, again. “Already?!”

They have two minutes, to vote. There’s yet another pause, where no one seems to want to point the first finger. Then, quietly, Changbin speaks.

“I think it was Jeongin, still.”

“You- really?” Jeongin’s voice shakes, as he speaks.

“Sorry.” Changbin shakes his head. “I just- you still seem too fitting.”

“You really think I could have killed someone?!”

“Guys!” Chan’s voice cuts that discussion off, before it can get out of hand. “I- well- I still think Minho is the most suspicious.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“I’m sorry, your power is just-”

“Fine, whatever, I don’t need to hear it again.” Minho pauses, then looks at Jeongin. Then, after a moment, he shakes his head and speaks. “I vote Seungmin.”

Startled by Minho’s choice, Jeongin audibly gasps. “Wait, really? I thought you- you accused me again, so…”

“If I’m wrong, then I’ll choose you next time.”

“Oh.” Jeongin nods, frowning. “Right…”

“Okay, so, I still think it’s Minho, too.” Seungmin’s words are unsurprising, after that.

“I’m voting for Seungmin.” Jeongin’s words come with a surprising amount of determination. Minho turns to him, surprised, and Seungmin turns to glare.

“You’re seriously agreeing with the person who tried to get you killed, last time?”

“Just shows how suspicious you are.” Minho says, only for Seungmin to mutter a, “fuck you,” under his breath.

“Well,” Changbin starts, looking around the group. “That’s two people with two votes… and I already voted for someone else, so we’re at a tie, again.” He breathes a sigh, seeming annoyed.

“Of _course_ we are.” There’s a hint of annoyance lacing Chan’s tone. “Why _wouldn’t_  we be?”

“Then… Felix breaks the tie?”

Felix is suddenly very aware of how Woojin must have felt, earlier. How stressful having peoples lives in your hands is, when you’re the definitive deciding factor. If he votes for Seungmin or Minho, one of them will die. If he votes for someone else- or even if he votes for Jeongin- it’ll be a tie, and none of them will die. But, then, if he does that someone will definitely die, when they’re unconscious.

Woojin had done that, and now he was dead. He wouldn’t even get the chance to regret it. Was that the right choice? Would it be, now?

Felix shakes his head, shakes his worries away for a moment. Just a second. Long enough to look up, and vote.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should Felix:  
>  **Vote for Minho**  
>  **Vote for Seungmin**  
>  **Vote for Someone Else**
> 
> So I feel the need to say, minho being an option again doesn't really mean that he is or that he isn't guilty. I debated making either him or jeongin an option again, and thought based on what's happened so far, this was the more likely result. basically: if you vote for someone else, or vote for one of them and get it wrong, then its possible for minho to not be an option next time. (well obviously if you vote for me he couldn't be an option but you know what i mean)  
> Just like if you don't vote for him, seungmin might not be an option next time. different ppl will show up in different votes, based on what's already happened, but that doesn't mean they are or aren't guilty, just because they do or don't show up in more votes.
> 
> **I just wanna warn you not to over think who has already been accused and just think about this specific vote.**


	5. Day 3 - Results

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> None of this is surprising, anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So i just rewatched the my pace mafia dance and you know what? the three to be killed by the mafia in that were the same as in this story so far. (though reverse of order for the first two) like...........how did i do that on accident??? @me: explain  
> which has 0 relevance i just thought that was weird. don't like think there are clues there bc it was an accident but a fun one?
> 
> Anyway, majority vote was...............a tie  
> oh uh  
> okay so Voting for Minho and Voting for Someone Else both got 3 votes (voting for seungmin only got 1) so uh  
> i put a bunch of votes for each of them (an equal number) in a randomizer, and then used a random number generator to choose one of them to get the +1 vote  
> mostly bc I didn't want to wait and wasn't sure there even ever /would/ be any more people voting, you know? I hope none of you are super bothered by this? if this happens in the future hopefully i'll have a better method for deciding.
> 
> SO the vote was **Vote for Someone Else** again. oh

He can’t do it. All at once, Felix fully understands what went through Woojin’s head, during the last vote. He doesn’t know enough, doesn’t have enough evidence to _kill someone_  for a murder they may or may not have committed. Felix stumbles over his word, to vote for someone else.

“I vote for myself.” Just like Woojin had. Will he regret this? Did Woojin, when he realized he would be the next to die? Will Felix- _no_. Thinking about that wont help. Unlike before, the reaction is more muted from the group. As if unsurprised.

“You realize what that means, right?” Seungmin doesn’t sound angry, or even disappointed. Just confused. Surprised, maybe, that Felix is doing this when it turned out so poorly for Woojin.

“I know. But if I voted, and it turned out you or Minho weren’t the culprit, would that help anyone?”

The phone rings, again, but none of them are startled this time. Already far too used to the going’s on of this place. Their time to vote is over; result decided. Slowly, the group stands and trails out of the main hall. Just as he’s left the main hall, Felix is startled by Changbin grabbing his arm. He flinches, less so because the action itself, and more so by how unnaturally cold his hand is.

“Sorry.” Changbin takes a step back, once Felix halts his own walking. The others continue on, towards the dining hall and kitchen it seemed.

“Is something up?”

“Well, not specifically.” Changbin pauses, appearing to gather his thoughts. “I was just thinking, we don’t really know how anyone’s powers work, you know?”

“Oh.” Felix pauses, considering this. The only person who they knew the limitations of their powers, and for sure that they were accurate, was Woojin. And Felix knew about his own powers, but nobody had shared much outside of saying what their powers were. Not even after the question of honesty about their powers came up. “You’re right.”

“And you seem like the most- well- trustworthy person, right now?”

“I do?”

Changbin nods, but avoids looking at Felix. “You and Woojin did. After seeing you try to heal him- well- there would be no reason to go that far, if you were the killer, you know?”

“I guess…”

“And if you were the killer, you’d probably _want_ us to vote for someone, who was wrong, since the quicker everyone- the faster people- because the less people there are, the sooner you…”win.””

“You might have a point.” Felix nods. “Well, then, how do your powers work?”

“Huh?”

“We can ask everyone more specifics about their powers, at least.”

“Oh, right.” Changbin nods. “Okay- so- within a certain area around me, I can affect the temperature. I can also get more specific.”

“How so?”

“Uh…” He trails off, seeming to struggle to explain it clearly. Then, Changbin nods to himself. “Okay, imagine you have a huge block of ice.”

“Okay?”

“I can affect the temperature specifically enough to melt only parts of it, and- I don’t know- carve it into shapes like that?”

“Wow. That’s pretty cool.”

A pause. “Was that a pun?”

Felix pauses, too, then laughs. “No, but I wish it was.”

“Never mind, I no longer trust you.” Despite clearly trying to appear annoyed, there’s a visible amount of amusement on his face. For a second- just one- they nearly forget the situation they’re in. It’s only with this moment, however, that Felix realizes just how much the stress of it was actually effecting him.

“Then, I can explain mine, a bit.” Felix holds up his hands, and they begin glowing. “If I put my hands against a wound, while they’re like this, it will heal. Assuming it’s not... too bad. Or too late.”

“That’s pretty useful, huh? In normal life, I mean.”

“It would be, yeah. Except it doesn’t-” Felix cuts himself off. It doesn’t work on him. He can’t heal himself. But, even if Changbin hadn’t seemed particularly suspicious to Felix, could he tell him that? Was that a good idea? The killer can’t possibly know about that limitation. It’s possible that they hadn’t killed him yet, _because_ they didn’t know he couldn’t save himself. If that was the case, then could he really take that risk?

“Felix?”

“It doesn’t work if the wound is too small. Like paper-cuts? Can’t fix those.”

“Oh.” Changbin frowns at him, clearly suspicious of what he’s said. It wasn’t _untrue_ , but Felix’s pause likely showed that it wasn’t what he originally wanted to say. “Well, why don’t we ask the others?”

“Sure.”

 

When they arrive in the dining hall, nobody is actually eating. Chan and Minho are sitting at one table- something that surprises Felix, after the last vote- and Seungmin and Jeongin aren’t there. Though there’s noise from the kitchen, that indicates at least one of them is probably in there.

“I’m going to go to the kitchen,” Changbin says, as they arrive. Felix turns to nod at him, before Changbin heads off in that direction. Felix, himself, makes his way to where Minho and Chan are sitting in silence.

“Hey, guys?”

“Hey, Felix,” Minho says, while Chan raises a hand in greeting.

“Something up?”

“I’m surprised you two are… sitting together.”

“Uh, yeah.” Chan turns to look at Minho, as if unsure what to say. Minho just shrugs.

“Being angry at him isn’t going to help me prove I didn’t do it.” Minho sighs. “I just have to prove my innocence so this doesn’t happen again.”

“Right…” Felix pauses, nods, and then clears his throat. “So- uh- you know after our introductions, we never really told each other how our powers worked? Maybe knowing more about that would help us?”

“Oh,” Chan says, surprise evident in his face. “You’re right, we really haven’t talked about that, have we?”

“So?”

“It’s honestly not that impressive. I can move- and control- plants? And make them grow, with enough energy, but it makes me feel like I’ve run a marathon.” After a moment, Chan continues. “I honestly haven’t thought about my own power, much, since we got here, since it isn’t any use in this situation.”

“Unless, theoretically, you used plants to move stuff for you,” Minho’s words are quiet, and not quite accusing, but Chan turns to him, seeming offended.

“I wouldn’t-”

“Saying that doesn’t make it less of a possibility.”

“Fine, alright, what about _your_ powers?”

The two talking- arguing, really- like they are, makes Felix feel like he shouldn’t be there. Like a kid watching their parents fight, except these two aren’t his parents and they’re insinuating the other is a murderer.

“I can copy, and use, someone’s power after I come into physical contact with them. Only for as long as that happened for.”

“Only for as long as that happened for?”

“Yeah. So if I shook someones hand for- let’s say- three seconds? Then I could use their power for three seconds. Not right away, necessarily, but…”

“How long can you hold onto that power for? Can you do it to more than one?” Felix’s questions have Minho turning to him. Minho shakes his head.

“I can only hold onto one at a time. If I copy another power, the first one is gone. And I don’t know exactly how long it lasts. It’s more than a day, but less than a week. I’ve never really tried to find the exact limit.”

“Still, that’s a lot of limitation.” Felix frowns, considering this. If Minho was telling the truth, he would have needed to do a lot, in order to kill the others. It wasn’t impossible- far from it- but it did make Felix think he should pay more attention to the time that’s passed, next time they’re unconscious.

“We’re unconscious long enough they don’t really matter, though,” Chan says. Despite his words, he sounds less sure now, than he had when he voted for Minho again.

“What about your powers, Felix?”

“Huh?”

“They wouldn’t help you commit a murder, but it’s a little weird for us to share about ours, and not you.”

“Oh, right.” So Felix explains his power, again. Once again leaving out its weakness.

 

With Changbin presumably talking to whoever was in the kitchen, Felix sets out with something else in mind. He heads up to the second floor, to the storage room where they originally found Hyunjin. He hesitates, at the door, be forces himself to open it. They hadn’t investigated very well, when it came to Hyunjin. Too caught up in being scared, and worried. Relying too much on Woojin’s power, and the lack of alibi’s any of them had.

The scent of blood and death is stronger, now, and Felix feels sick to his stomach, again. But there had to be _something_ here. Something they missed. Hyunjin was dragged to the room, that much was obvious, though looking at him, now, Felix notices something he hadn’t before. His head is facing the door, which would be odd if he was dragged by the top half of his body. So, more likely, he was pulled by his legs.

That was likely why, despite the blood, whoever did it hadn’t gotten blood on themselves. Although- they had hit him, right? Surely they would have been close enough to get blood on them, too? There were multiple ways in which it was possible this wasn’t the case, considering their powers as a factor, but it was still odd. That, and lamp that the assumed was used, had broken. There was glass, embedded in Hyunjin's hands, though it was impossible to know the exact circumstances that caused that.Nobody else had seemed hurt, after that. With Jisung there hadn’t been any blood to cover up, and with Woojin the weapon was long enough that even if they had done it by hand, their only concern would have been moving Woojin.

That’s assuming Woojin was moved, which Felix doesn’t know for sure is actually the case.

Due to the fact that they knew Hyunjin was moved, they hadn’t thoroughly investigated the storage room, itself, either. So Felix sets to doing that. Tries to ignore the body, and the blood, and the smell. He hadn’t really thought about it, until now, but the bodies were just… there. Left where they were for the hours that had passed.

If- no, when- they find the killer, and get out of here, they’ll have to properly bury them.

“Jesus, Felix, what are you doing?!” Jeongin’s voice makes Felix jump, spinning around from where he’s digging through boxes in the storage room. It was possible that someone had hidden something.

“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” Felix sighs, while Jeongin stands beside the open door, shifting uncomfortably. “I realized we- we didn’t investigate what happened here, as much as with the- with Jisung and Woojin.”

“Still… how can you… stand it?”

“Which part?” Felix laughs, but humor is missing from it. “I don’t… know. I can’t just let this keep happening, though.”

“Right… do you- do you need help?” Despite his offer, Jeongin glances worriedly at Hyunjin.

“Actually, if you want to look more at the other room, where this happened, that would save time.” Assuming Jeongin wasn’t just a really good actor, and was going to hide evidence. “Wait- what are you doing here, anyway?”

“I’ve been walking around the building, at random.” Jeongin turns away from the body, to give a small shrug. “I just… can’t stand still, with what’s going on, you know?”

“I guess- oh, wait. Before you go.”

“Yeah?”

“Can you tell me more about your power?”

“Sure if you… step out of there.”

Felix nods, and makes his way out of the room. Closing the door behind him, he turns to Jeongin. “So?”

“So, what do you want to know?”

“How it works?”

“Right, okay. I have to be able to see something to move it, and closer to stuff that’s bigger, but I can move anything as long as it fits in that. Oh- uh- if I blink it’s okay, but if I actually close my eyes I can’t move it anymore. I also can’t move living things. So- like- people or animals.”

Unless they’re already dead. Felix doesn’t say that; doesn’t want to start accusing people pointlessly. “Okay. Want to hear about mine?”

“A bit, yeah.”

So Felix once again explains his power. Then, with that done, Jeongin heads off to the room where the murder presumably took place, while Felix returns to searching the storage room.

Felix’s search, however, turns up absolutely nothing. Clearly if the killer had hid something here, they moved it already. Had plenty of time to do so, anyway. With A sigh, Felix leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

“When we’re out of here, we’ll bury you properly. Promise.”

He should see if Jeongin found anything, next. Or, that’s his plan, but he’s stopped by Changbin calling out to him, as he approaches.

“Felix!”

“Yeah?”

“I was talking to Seungmin, and found out about his power. Or what he told me, at least.”

“Oh, right. I talked to everyone else.”

“Okay.” Changbin nods. “Since I have less to go over, I’ll explain what Seungmin told me.”

“Alright.”

“So Seungmin said he has to speak to someone, and they have to hear him, for his power to work. Also he repeated all the limits he gave before, about not being able to make someone willingly die. Oh, and he said he’s also immune to mind control, himself, because of it? Apparently.”

“Alright.” Assuming that’s true, his power likely wouldn’t help him any, in killing the others. Then again, they're putting a lot of faith in each other to be honest about their own powers. “Okay, so, the others…”

Felix recites what he’s learned about Chan, Minho, and Jeongin’s powers, next. Changbin nods along, until he’s finished, then speaks.

“Honestly, I’m not sure we’ve narrowed anything down. Especially since we just kinda have to take their words for it.”

“Yeah.”

“Though, can I say something? You might not agree.”

“What’s that?”

“Doesn’t it seem like, despite his power potentially being helpful, Chan’s avoided being accused of anything?”

“Uh- well- maybe because he _hasn’t_ done anything?” Felix pauses, trying to think if there were plants at any of the crime scenes.

“I guess we could have said the same about Seungmin, until he was accused earlier.”

Felix nods. Based on the deaths themselves, they hadn’t given nearly enough attention to the places they happened. The crime scenes were- _oh_. Felix forgot about Jeongin. “Oh, right, Jeongin was investigating the other room, where the blood leads. I forgot.”

“Then, let’s go see him? Maybe he’ll have learned something.”

 

Jeongin has not, in fact, learned anything. The room appears similar to a living room. With couches and a television. Though the latter is not working. There  _is_  a small houseplant, in there, but it doesn't appear to have grown large enough to be of use. Unless there was something they didn't know about Chan's powers. There’s a lamp, broken on the ground and covered in blood, that was presumably on the side table near the couch, at one point. Jeongin appears to have basically turned the room upside down, to no avail.

“So, nothing at all?”

“Nothing! There aren’t even any signs of a struggle, except the lamp that- you know- was… used.”

“So we’ve still learned nothing.” Changbin breathes a heavy sigh, shaking his head. “Alright, well, maybe we missed something with the other-”

The ringing of the phone cuts him off. At this rate, Felix worries they’re going to start having a pavlovian response to the sound. A negative one, at that. Felix answers it, though he has an idea what’s going to happen. They have to separate again.

“I’m going back to the first floor,” Jeongin says, simply. “I can’t stay up here with- with one of them so close by. Even if we are unconscious.”

“Right.”

While Jeongin heads downstairs, Changbin decides to stay where they are, and Felix sets out towards the set of stairs leading up. He wont go far, just to a room next to the stairs, but he, admittedly, is just as unsettled as Jeongin says he is, about being so close to the body.

Felix runs nearly directly into Seungmin. “Seungmin?”

“Oh, Felix.” Seungmin pauses, just about to enter one of the rooms. “You're going up a floor, for a room?”

“Hyunjin is down there.”

“Oh.” Seungmin nods, face turning understanding.

“Yeah. Even if we’re knocked out I don’t like it.”

“Makes sense. I don’t like the idea of sleeping in a building with corpses, either… well, anyway, see you when we wake up.”

“Hopefully.”

Seungin frowns, at that, shaking his head. “I was… trying not to think about that.”

“Sorry, I’m just- you know- worried?”

“Right.” Seungmin nods, before turning to enter the room. “I hope we’ll both survive this time.”

“Yeah.”

Felix finds another room, nearby, and settles down on a chair, in there. Briefly he wonders if he should have asked Changbin or Seungmin to meet up with him, first, when they woke up, but shakes the thought away. Last time he did that, all he found was a corpse.

 

The phone’s ringing, again, when Felix wakes. He isn’t surprised by this, nor by being told to go to the main hall, when he answers.

Only five of them ever arrive in the main hall, though. His stomach twists, as realization of who’s missing sets in. The phone ringing only worsens that feeling, and he rushes out of the room first. While the others are told, he already knows. Someone follows him, immediately. Together, they find Changbin.

Jeongin’s small, horrified, gasp barely registers to Felix. He had been _right there_. Felix passed the room on his way to the main hall, without realizing anything. He takes a step forward, holding his hands out, but he knows it wont do anything. Knows it’s too late.

The fact he can’t heal anything only prove that.

“We- he- we _just saw him_.” Felix, at first, doesn’t realize the words aren’t directed at him. Jeongin is talking to the others, who’ve just arrived.

They have another corpse to investigate. The five of them that are left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to say anyone who was suspicious of changbin.........yeah this  
> also just pretend that "cool" pun would work if this story wasn't in english
> 
> no vote again, as if that's shocking.
> 
> this story is /just/ popular enough that i kind wish i had, idk, like a discord serve or something up? bc i like hearing your theories but also wonder if actively talking about it would change those theories. but it's also like.........not enough ppl to justify that.  
> i think. unless u want that?  
> anyway if you think i should have done something else about the tie feel free to tell me how dumb i am. or just think of it like me also getting a vote? idk. im sorry.
> 
> also i apparently still exclusively post in the middle of the night.........sorry


	6. Day 4 - Vote

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're down to five. Was there something they were missing?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> """""day""""" 4.  
> listen idk how to title the chapters, okay

The room is familiar. Mostly, it’s unchanged. The investigation of it, so soon after Jeongin and Felix- and Changbin, before- have investigated it, makes things simpler. Despite his hesitation to be in a room with a corpse, Jeongin points out what he can, from the doorway. The disarray of the room is seemingly entirely the result of them turning over the room, looking for clues, the day before. Due to that it’s difficult to tell if Changbin had a chance to fight back, or not, but it doesn’t _seem_  like it. Some things are missing from the room, now, however. The plant, the lamp, and one of the couch pillows.

“So you guys saw him, before falling asleep?” Seungmin asks, looking between Jeongin and Felix.

“Yeah. The three of us were looking into what happened to Hyunjin, since we didn’t investigate as much after the first death.” Felix glances at Changbin, where he is on the ground, before continuing. “Well, he joined when I came here, to see if Jeongin had found anything.”

“So Jeongin was in this room, by himself, for a while?” Chan’s question clearly catches Jeongin off-guard, since the other turns to him quickly, wide-eyed.

“Yes?”

“Just… he could have hidden something to… do this.”

“I- why would I have- they would have noticed!”

“Felix?”

“We… didn’t really check, after meeting up with him. Not thoroughly.”

Jeongin spins to look at Felix, surprise evident. “Felix!”

“I’m not saying I think you did it.” Felix doesn’t know who did it, but he knows it could be any of them. “There is a concern.”

“Which is?”

“The stuff that’s missing.” Felix lists the things, motioning to where they were as he does. Jeongin corroborates everything Felix says, about the room.

“Weird that there was a plant, and it’s gone,” Minho notes. Chan doesn’t respond, frowning down at Changbin’s body.

“There are marks, on his neck.” Chan motions at Changbin, without moving closer to him. Felix, the closest to the body, still, crouches to get a closer look. They appear to be bruises, from what he can tell. He isn’t a doctor, though, so it’s possible they’re characteristic of something specific, and he doesn’t know it.

What he can tell, however, is that they, along with the lack of external injury, paint a picture of how Changbin most likely died. “He was- it seems like he was strangled, with something. Maybe rope, like Jisung was hung with? They hid it, then, too.”

“Doesn’t have to be rope.” Seungmin’s words are clearly directed at Chan, who again doesn’t respond to him.

“Whatever it was, they don’t want us to know for sure.” Chan pauses, then shakes his head. “It’s also possible some of what they moved was just done to confuse us.”

“Can you guys- can everyone investigate here?” Felix asks, receiving a confused pause from the group. “I want to check something, with the other murders, but we also need to investigate here.”

“I don’t know if you should go by yourself,” Minho says, crossing his arms in what appears to be thought. “I don’t necessarily think you’re guilty, or anything, but we shouldn’t take any chances. Nobody should be allowed to investigate alone.”

“Jeongin, why don’t you go with him?” Seungmin says, turning to Jeongin. In turn, Jeongin nods.

“Okay.”

“Alright. Let’s go, then.” Felix leaves, Jeongin following close behind. The other three, combined, should be able to investigate fine.

“What are we looking for?”

“I want to try to find the rope that was hidden when Jisung was killed. And check the rooms for plants.” Felix pauses conversation, while they go up the stairs. Then he continues. “We can also look for rope, elsewhere, if we have time.”

The library is easier to be in, somehow. Despite Jisung still being there, it’s big enough to avoid the body. There are, in fact, plants in the library. Real, but thin, vines trailing over the walls in a decorative manner. However, Felix isn’t so quick to think that proves anything. They are fairly fragile looking, and Jisung’s death was set up to confuse them. Were it not for Woojin, they wouldn’t have ever concluded rope was used, to start with. Felix heads off to one side of the library, while Jeongin heads to the other side. Together, they’re bound to find anything that there is to find.

“Hey!” Jeongin’s voice shocks Felix out of his thoughts, as he tosses books aside to check if anything was hidden behind them.

“Yeah?”

“I found something.” All at once the bookshelf behind Felix, which blocked Jeongin from his view, is pushed aside. The speed and lack of effort this happens with, makes him jump. _Right_ , telekinesis.

“What is it?”

“Rope.” Jeongin holds up the rope, but something seems strange to Felix. It’s too short to have been used on Jisung. Based on what they knew it had to be long enough to both wrap around his neck, and his wrists, as well as going through the bars on one of the light fixtures. “Think this is it?”

“I don’t think that was used on Jisung.” Felix shakes his head. Then again: just because it wasn’t used on Jisung, doesn’t mean that it wasn’t used at all. “We should bring it to the discussion.”

“Okay.” Jeongin nods. “Now what?”

“Let’s go to- let’s check… Woojin.” Felix hesitates to move, and Jeongin doesn’t make any move to leave, himself. Finally, Felix sighs, reminding himself this was in order to find the killer. Then he makes his way out of the library. Jeongin follows, though his hesitance is clear.

Felix was far too distraught to properly investigate the room, himself, when it happened, and Jeongin avoided the room, too. Thus, neither of them are really able to tell if anything has been changed. However, this room _is_  without any sort of plant. Did that mean there never was one, or was it moved? It’s also possible the killer is well aware of the thought- one give to Felix by Changbin- that the plants were being used, and was hiding evidence. Even if that was the case, there were still two people capable of that, in the first place.

So would knowing help any?

They- mostly Felix- investigate the room, further, but come to the conclusion they had before. There wasn’t anything else about the scene that would tell them anything. Nothing hidden, as far as Felix can tell. Jeongin stays on the door side of the room, as far from the body as possible, but what he does check comes up with nothing, too. Felix sighs. This told them nothing.

That now-familiar ringing fills the room, and Felix answers the phone knowing what’s coming. It’s time to debate. Returning the the main hall, Felix realizes they’ll have less time to actually discuss their suspicions, since they have to relay what they found.

 

Everyone gathers in the main hall, and Felix and Jeongin share what they found. Then, discussion about what they know, when it comes to Changbin’s death, are further clarified. What they know, is:

  * Changbin was most likely strangled with something either similar to rope or rope.
  * It had been only an hour between when they were knocked unconscious, and when they woke.
  * Three things are missing from the room, now: a house plant, the broken lamp used to kill Hyunjin, and one of the couch pillows.
  * As far as they can tell, Changbin didn’t fight back. _Why_ is up for debate.
  * He has no injury’s other than the ones on his neck.



With all of this in mind, they start their third real discussion.

“Before- well- before we discuss who we think did it, I want to tell you what Changbin had said, before he died.” Felix immediately gains everyone’s attention. “He thought it was strange that despite having a power that could have helped him, Chan hadn’t been really accused. He also said he would have said the same about Seungmin, if it weren’t for what happened last time we voted.”

“Me?” Chan looks genuinely confused. “He… thought I was suspicious?”

“Probably because you _are_ , now that I think about it,” Minho says. “Maybe that houseplant is missing because you needed it. In fact- how do we know you didn’t know Changbin was suspicious of you? Maybe that’s why you did it.”

“How would I have known that?!”

“Maybe you heard it from our _host_.” Minho glares. “We don’t know what happens while we’re knocked out.”

“In that case,” Jeongin starts, halting Minho and Chan’s glaring contest. “It’s possible anyone could have known that, and set this up specifically to make us think Chan did it.”

“Why do that, when he hadn’t been accused so far?” Seungmin asks, frowning. “Unless it was someone who was angry Chan kept accusing him. Minho, thoughts?”

“Are you insinuating I did it?”

“You could do anything he could, and use it to frame him.”

“I don’t think the plants would do it, with just manipulation. Either of us would have to actively hold them, in order to do that. I think it’s more likely someone else just hid what they did to make it seem like my power could have been used.” Chan speaks with a surprising amount of hesitance.

“What are you saying, Chan?” Felix asks. What would cause him to hesitate so much?

“Well… Jeongin could have done it, easier than the rest of us.” Everyone seems to share surprise at this. Until now, Chan has seemed fairly convinced Jeongin wasn’t responsible. “And he knew where Changbin was, which would have saved him time. He could have stayed nearby, and done it within the hour we were unconscious.”

“Jeongin went downstairs, but he could have stayed nearby.” Felix doesn’t feel good, saying that, but he knows hiding any information will only aid whoever did this. “Me and Seungmin were upstairs, also close by”

“Felix and Seungmin were closer than I was!” Jeongin points at Seungmin, then. “And we only have his word to go on that he can’t make someone die. If he told Changbin not to struggle, he could have done whatever he wanted.”

“I keep saying I can’t do that!” Seungmin throws his hands up, clearly annoyed. “Besides: Minho could do literally anything he wanted, using any of our powers.”

“If he was telling the truth, he might not have been able to do that, unless he was really quick about it,” Chan says, frowning at Seungmin.

“You’re assuming he was telling the truth, but I’m suspicious because you have to _assume_ I was?”

“I don’t think you did it.” Chan shakes his head. “Like I said; Jeongin had the best method to do it. And he’s been suspicious from the start. I just didn’t want to admit it, because of his age.”

“I couldn’t kill someone!”

“You’re just turning around on Jeongin, because you realize we’re suspicious of you, now,” Minho mutters, eyeing Chan.

“Besides, Minho has been suspicious since the very beginning, too. Who knows what he’s up to while we’re asleep.” Seungmin motions to the other, who makes an offended noise.

Felix can tell, listening to them, that everyone has already decided what they think. They’re going in accusatory circles. “Guys! We aren’t getting anywhere like this. We should-”

There it is, that god forsaken ringing again. Felix glares, standing before Chan can, to answer it. It’s time to vote. Felix slams the phone back onto the receiver, and spins to face the group.

“It’s time to vote, again.”

“Well I think-”

“Well!” Felix cuts Minho off, ignoring the other’s startled expression. “Jeongin, your vote?”

“Uh- I- I think Seungmin did it.” Jeongin doesn’t sound entirely certain, with his answer. Still, Felix nods, then moves on to the next person in the circle.

“Minho?”

“I think it was Chan.”

Then, the next. “Seungmin?”

“My vote is for Minho.”

“Chan?”

“I suspect Jeongin, so that’s my vote.”

Felix nods, dropping back into the circle. Each of them voted for someone different, meaning if he votes for anyone other than himself, that person will die. The thing is: he doesn’t know who to vote for, if anyone. But could he just not vote again? They were already down to five people. If they don’t vote, there will only be four of them when they wake, next. But if they’re wrong only two of them, and the killer, will remain, by the time they wake.

What should he do? Could he really chance letting the killer go, again? There had to be something. Something he knew, but hadn’t realized, that told him the killer, _right_? Was it really possible, that all their evidence was so subjective? That the killer hadn’t given them _anything_  to go on?

“Felix, who do you vote for?” At Chan’s question, Felix shakes his head. He doesn’t _know_.

But he _has_ to vote.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should Felix vote for: **Chan, Minho, Seungmin, Jeongin,** or **Himself**?  
> Now no matter who you're suspicious of, you can vote for them ^^
> 
> Here's something to get you thinking: there is something about Hyunjin's death that none of the characters have realized/pointed out, but if you re-read the last chapter, you might be able to figure out what it is. Maybe. Maybe not, maybe it's not obvious if you don't already know. hm.  
> anyway, your theories are always really interesting, and cool to read.  
> oh btw the reason i only just now pointed out if there were/weren't plants, was both bc the characters weren't thinking about it, and because i realized it wasn't really fair to you if i *never* did.  
> this story could come to a close, soon. either bc you get this vote right, or like, in a few chapters when there aren't enough people left.


	7. Day 4 - Results

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix votes, this time believing he knows the right choice.  
> He had to have done it, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Majority to vote was.......... vote for Seungmin. By 100% of the votes.  
> man, guys, you really think he did it, huh?

What was the right thing to do? Who should he vote for, in order to end this? Had they missed something? There had to be something, right? He has to vote, they’re waiting on him, and they don’t have much time to vote, anyway.

Felix quickly tries to sort through what he knows about the murders. Was there something that stood out, about Jisung’s case? About Woojins? Changbins? What about Hyunjin’s. Based on when it happened, would the murderer have had time to hide everything-

No, they must not have. Why did Hyunjin’s hands have glass in them? From the lamp, probably, but why him? Why not his killer? Would that have happened, if it was anyone other than- “I vote for Seungmin.”

“What?” Seungmin’s reaction is muted, quiet in comparison to what would be expected of someone just got voted to their death.

“You did it, right?” Felix looks up to meet Seungmins eyes. The other’s look between the two, as if unsure how to react to Felix’s vote. To his words.

“Did I?” Seungmin shakes his head. Then, he holds up his hands, in front of himself. Laughs humorlessly, defeated. “You got me.”

“Wait- you’re admitting it?!” Jeongin is the first to react, shock covering his features. Despite having also voted for Seungmin, it’s as if he hadn’t actually expected to be right. “Why?!”

“Would anything I say make you feel better about it?” No, it wouldn’t. But the question of why still sits heavy in their minds.

“How?” Chan asks, quietly. Then, again, louder. “How? How did you kill them?”

“I told them to die.” Seungmin’s words are too simple, come too easily. “Well, I did a lot more than that, but that’s basically it. Bash your own head in with that lamp. Stay levitating here. Stop levitating. Turn around and don’t move. Don’t fight back.”

“So you _were_ lying.” Minho jumps to his feet. “This whole time, it was you. I knew we shouldn’t have trusted what you said about your powers limits!”

“Not all of it was… well, only Felix knows the actual limit, now, right? That they had to hear me?” Seungmin shrugs. “Doesn’t matter now.”

“Why would you do this?! What was the point?!” Jeongin stands, too. “Why kill them?!”

“In general, or specifically them? Because none of them were all that suspicious or easy to frame, so none of you would have voted for them. Well, honestly, Hyunjin’s was an accident. I didn’t mean to kill anyone until after the first time we went to sleep, but I panicked.”

“You really… did all this.” Chan stands, too. “How do we leave, Seungmin? Tell us how to get out of here.”

“Why? I’m about to die, you know. No goodbyes?" He sighs, shakes his head. "There’s a door in the basement, but I’m sure our host will explain how to get out.” Seungmin lays down, stares at the ceiling.

“Why give us a chance to catch you?” Felix asks. He remains sitting, not sure he’ll be able to stay steady, with the shock filling his system. He was right, and he hated that. Because it meant it was real. Seungmin- one of them- really had killed the others. He thought, maybe, it was a lie. Something to get them fighting. But now he can’t ignore the truth.

“I didn’t plan this.” It’s a simple statement. Quiet, hesitant, but simple. He didn’t plan this, he just participated. “Hey, Felix?”

The other’s turn their attention to Felix, too, when he’s addressed. “Yes?”

“You’re going to bury the others, right? Make sure they don’t just sit here and rot?”

“Yes…” Felix doesn’t question how the other knows that. Likely the same way he knew to try and make Chan look suspicious, after Changbin brought it up.

“Maybe… you could have me buried, too?”

“You think any of us would care what happens to you, after this?!” Minho disbelief is clear, and Jeongin nods in agreement.

“No.”

“We’ll bury you, too,” Chan says. Minho and Jeongin turn to him, startled, but Felix thinks he understands.

“Thanks. Hey, you know, our hosts power is actually more complicated than he explained. Making us fall asleep? It’s something other than that. Once you’re out, they can just… stop other functions of your body. Like your heart, or your brain, you know?” Seungmin breathes a sigh, closes his eyes. Resigned, he continues. “Even if we can’t use our powers in here, powers can still be used on us, while we’re in here.”

In response, Jeongin seems the only one able to respond. Just a small, “what?”

“I’m going to die. You voted for that, remember? Didn’t you guys ever question how that would work?” A pause. “Any other questions, before I go?”

A thousand, really, but Felix can’t seem to form any. Stands, shaky. Stares down at Seungmin, and wonders why he did this. What made him do this? Why would he agree to do it? Did he just want an excuse, or was there something else? Why participate in the host’s so-called game, if he just wanted to kill someone? Why did he-

“Why did you-” The phone. Its ringing makes Felix feel sick to his stomach, knowing what it means. Nobody moves, nobody wants to answer it, and Seungmin breathes another sigh. Then, he stands, and answers the phone.

“Yeah?” Seungmin pauses, listening, then turns to the group. “It’s over, you won!” His tone is full of false enthusiasm.

“ _Won_.” Minho repeats the word like it’s painful to say.

“One of you should take this, and learn how to leave, yeah?” Seungmin holds out the phone, but everyone hesitates to take it. Then, Chan moves forward and takes it. Seungmin returns to laying on the group, presumably resigned to his fate.

“Seungmin, why did you do this?”

“Does it matter?”

“Yes!”

“Would you hate me less, if I had a good reason?”

Maybe not. Felix isn’t sure there’s a good enough reason to justify this, no matter what it is. Four people were killed, by him. His silence- inability to respond- speaks volumes.

“Thought so.”

Seungmin closes his eyes, again, and soon stops responding whatsoever. Then, he stops breathing. Felix, panicked despite knowing this would happen, tries to drag him out of the main hall. Tries to somehow reverse whatever affect their host power has, to no avail.

“Now… now what do we do?”

“Seungmin… should have a key,” Chan says, hesitant. Minho kneels besides Seungmin, where Felix had moved him, and searches the others pockets. Sure enough, there’s a key in one of his pockets. “It apparently opens a door, in the basement, that will lead us outside.”

Felix thought he’d be angry. Or maybe he thought he’d be happy. Or _anything_ , other that the sinking _sadness_ he feels, at discovering the truth. He doesn’t have enough answers, to feel satisfied with what happened. He had been right; he should be glad. His vote had stopped the killer. He had figured the truth out. But… why did the other four have to die?

What should he do, now?

The path, in the basement, goes on for a while past the door. Leads to stairs, that lead back up and into the outside world. Just outside of the building they’d spent the past almost two days. Had it only been that long? It felt like longer.

“I’m sorry for accusing both of you,” Minho says, to Chan and Jeongin, once they’re outside. “I honestly thought you did it, and I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

“We all- none of us are really- we should all apologize,” Jeongin says. “I’m sorry, too.”

“Yeah, I am too,” Chan adds.

“I’m sorry I voted for Jeongin, in the first vote,” Felix says, softly. He hadn’t been thinking far enough ahead, then. Or, maybe, not far enough back, since Hyunjin’s death was the one that put all the pieces together. "And for not voting for Seungmin, sooner."

“By the way, Felix, how did you figure out it was Seungmin?”

“Oh.” Surprised, Felix blinks at them. Take a moment, to collect his thoughts, before explaining. “Hyunjin had glass in his hands. Any of us would have noticed, if one of us were hurt, and the broken lamp should have done the same to whoever did it. If Hyunjin didn’t have glass in his hands maybe I would have believed Jeongin or Minho had done it, but the only reason for that- or the most likely reason, which turned out to be right- was that Hyunjin himself did it.”

“But didn’t you think Minho might have done it, and copied your powers to heal his hands?” Jeongin is the one to ask.

“He couldn’t.” Felix stares down at his own hands. “I never told anyone, but I can’t heal myself. That’s probably why Seungmin didn’t kill me, either. I mean, maybe? He wouldn’t have known that I couldn’t just save myself.”

“So knowing that meant you could cross Minho of the suspect list, too.”

“Yep. That, and I don’t think Minho had the time, when it came to Hyunjin.”

“Right; I would have needed more time to copy anyone’s powers to do it.”

“So… what do we do, now that we’re out?” Chan asks, glancing back at the building. What should they do?

“Call the police, maybe?”

“Oh, right.”

 

A police investigation hunts down their host. An older man- who owned a large company- who’d bought the land and building only a few months earlier. Apparently he had no known relation to Seungmin, and refused to explain anything when questioned. Due to the prejudiced against those with powers, the remaining four end up needing to defend themselves, multiple time, before the police finally decide they can’t be held accountable for Seungmin’s death, and let them go. Burials are held, for the five that died, within a week. Short, small, accommodations for them, but better than rotting in the mansion.

Felix had originally gone to the mansion, hoping for somewhere safe. Somewhere he could openly admit to having powers without getting strange looks at best, and violence at worst. The whole thing had turned out horribly, and he regrets it, but it leaves him with nowhere to go. If he’d had another option, he would have turned the offer down. The others, it seems, are in similar positions. It’s slightly better, in a few other countries, but travel is expensive especially for people in their positions.

“Well,” Chan starts, as they leave the police station, finally, “before I got the invitation to- uh- _that_ whole thing, I was working on another plan.”

“Which was?”

“I have family living abroad, I just need the money to actually travel there. Honestly I was hoping to keep saving up, while living in _that place_ , and leave eventually.”

“So?” Minho asks, clearly not appreciating the lack of clear explanation.

“ _So_ , our _host_  owes us a lot of compensation for threats of death and emotional trauma. Unless you honestly weren’t going to personally press charges?”

“No, I was.”

“Then any of you are welcome to come with me, when I go.”

“Abroad is really unspecific,” Jeongin says, though he doesn’t sound particularly worried. The nervousness he held himself with, while in the mansion, is gone. “Tell us more about it, at least!”

“Okay, so…”

There isn’t much of a case, honestly. No matter the prejudice around those with powers, their former host also has one, and what he’d done was nearly impossible to cover up. To make excuses for. His lawyer, no matter how good, can’t talk him out of a losing case, especially not when the man admits everything. Doesn’t seem particularly guilty about it, either. Doesn’t make any excuses.

The money doesn’t undo the mental scars the situation gave them. Doesn’t stop the inherent fear going to sleep brings them, after everything that happened while they were knocked out, but it does help them move and leave that place behind.

Honestly, if you had told Felix he would _want_  to keep living with the other three survivors, back when he wasn’t sure which of them had done it, he wouldn’t have believed that. Would have thought it was ridiculous, because how could he trust them, no matter if they were guilty or not. After all the voting and the arguing? However, he ends up doing just that. Wanting to do just that.

Because nobody else in the world can understand what happened to them.

In a year, on the anniversary of the whole event, they have different ways of dealing with the reminder. Felix hasn’t the time to go back to their graves, but he spends a few hours of his day mourning the five, despite not knowing them very well. Jeongin invests himself entirely in distractions, instead. Unwilling to think about it. Minho is similar, though he just focuses on his usual work, pretending it’s the only relevant part of his life. Chan manages to get the four of them together for at least one meal, to remind them all that they’re together and _safe now_. Or maybe just to remind himself.

They had all gone, back then, because they were looking for somewhere safe. A place like where they are now. Felix just wishes all eight- no, nine- of them could have been here, instead of ending up how they did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well looks like you were right.  
> Stays proving to also be too smart for me to trick into the worst possible end.  
> (adds stays to the list next to aroha's in "groups of ppl with more braincells than me" list)  
> But how does that make you feel, honestly? Wait, this is the end right? then why isn't this marked completed? could it be a.........bonus chapter????  
> if you read my astro stories (that were vote based) you probably aren't that shocked. So look forward to an actual explanation of why seungmin did it, coming up fresh off the presses.  
> or something.  
> it'll be from his perspective.  
> After that, well, maybe an alternate ending/series of events? One where things were happier. Watch out for that, too.  
> are those just an excuse to have 9 chapter? maybe.
> 
> Uh so fun fact: Seungmin is the only one who- out loud- says they're going to "sleep" instead of being knocked out/unconscious. This doesn't count as a clue to him being the killer because im a fucking idiot and actually had someone else say asleep at some point- though i went back and fixed it now, it doesn't count bc wouldn't be fair to say that, when it wasn't the case originally- but yeah. that was what i intended and if i had like 1 braincell would have been the case.  
> Shout out to everyone who figured it out based on the last two chapters!  
> Thank you all for reading!!  
> What should my next vote-based story be. maybe something else stray kids, but more along the lines of the astro stories where there's good, neutral, and bad endings, instead of just a countdown to everyone dying like this one? I'll have to figure out a topic though.
> 
> Oh! And now that the truth is out there, if you have any questions about their powers I can answer them without it being spoilers now!


	8. Bonus Chapter | What the Killer Thought.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He doesn’t know why, but he’s relieved. Resigned to his fate- afraid of what he knows is going to happen to him- but relieved none the less. He laughs, holds up his hands, and admits it. “You got me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey welcome to this no fun time. a bonus chapter from the killers perspective through (and prior to) the story.

So, Seungmin is sixteen when his power starts to develop. It’s startling; not because he didn’t know it would happen, but because of the suddenness with which it does. When he asks someone to hand him something, and they do so quickly, without hesitation, only to mutter a small, “what the fuck,” because they hadn’t done so of their own free will. While Seungmin tries- and for the most part succeeds- to hide his powers, he can’t do so entirely. It doesn’t take long, really, for people to find out, and for those people to tell more people.

Those with powers are naturally distrusted, someone with mind control even more so. Mentions of how they shouldn’t talk to Seungmin become normal. How they can’t trust Seungmin. How Seungmin will probably use his powers to do horrible things. But he doesn’t _want_  to do anything with them. And there was no strong evidence that the twelve percent of people who had powers were even more likely to commit crimes in the first place.

By the time Seungmin is eighteen he wants nothing more than to go somewhere that isn’t where he is. His parents had told him, time and time again, to hide his power. To not let anyone know. Because it would only make his life harder, if he did. Because nobody would trust him. They meant well- were right, even- but he hated that. Looked towards places where it was becoming more accepted, safer, and generally nicer for those like him, and wanted nothing more to go there.

Seungmin is eighteen, when he meets _that person_. That company owner, who comes across him by chance. Who Seungmin slips up when passing on the street, and accidentally reveals his power to. That man, who looks at Seungmin, and says he understands. He has a power too. Seungmin isn’t stupid, or oblivious, he knows better than to trust strangers on the street. But looking into the company the other claims to run, reveals he’s telling the truth about his position, at least. Meeting up with him once- just to be sure- reveals he’s telling the truth about having power, too. Says he understands, wants to help people like Seungmin get to the places that are safer for him.

“If you help me with something, I’ll send you there.”

It isn’t so simple, of course. Seungmin doesn’t trust the other, and for good reason. Explanation of what he wants makes Seungmin feel sick to his stomach. Has him saying, “leave me alone,” and letting his power allow Seungmin to leave without anyone trying to stop him. Except…

What if he does? He could go somewhere safer, better. Somewhere he doesn’t have to pretend his power doesn’t exist.

 _No_ , he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t kill someone.

Yet, nearly two months later, he finds himself in front of _that person_  again.

“Do I have to kill all of them?”

Seungmin has a plan. An idea. As long as they can hear him, his power will work on someone. Even if he’s nowhere near them, it’ll work. So his idea is this: pretend to do what he said he would, and tell that person to believe him, when he calls. Tell him to believe Seungmin has killed them, when he says he had. They wont know they’re being controlled, until they’ve completed what he told them, and it’ll never be complete, because it’s an ongoing order. Seungmin, and everyone else, can leave and go somewhere better for them.

And then, when he’s going to set up the first false murder, he runs into Hyunjin.

Hyunjin is in the room, when he goes to set something up, and he panics. Because he can’t explain, he can’t say anything, as long as _that person_  is watching. He can’t defend what he’s doing, without revealing his plan.

“What is this-”

“Kill yourself,” Seungmin speaks shaky, panicked. Without thinking. “Bash your head in with that lamp.”

He doesn’t know why he does it. Why he doesn’t just say, “ _forget what I was here,_ ” and move on. Doesn’t know why his first thought is to kill. Except he does. Because the thought of death- of making them die- was in his mind so heavily. Right there- a reminder of what he agreed to- and, so, it was the first thing that bubbled to the surface, in his panic.

He moves Hyunjin, hopes that’ll make everyone focus on something that isn’t the evidence embedded in Hyunjin’s hands. Doesn’t hide the evidence, because he doesn’t care. If they catch him, if they vote for him, he’d deserve it, right? Still, he can’t bring himself to be obvious, either. To admit it.

“That’s so fucked up!” Jisung says, when they find out that one of them is responsible. “One of you seriously- actually killed someone?! And agreed to this?!”

Seungmin feels sick to his stomach, again, but instead responds. Says Jisung is a suspect too, even though he knows who did it. And, when they’re put to sleep for the first time, his guilt twists into something else. He takes this unknown feeling out on Jisung, and finds the other in the library.

“Seungmin, what-”

“Stay still.” Seungmin moves things, sets them all up, then turns to Jisung, from where Seungmin stands on a ladder, and speaks. “Levitate right here.”

Jisung doesn’t know what’s happening, while he’s under Seungmin’s mind control. That must be for the best, right? If he doesn’t know, he wont be scared.

“Let yourself fall.”

The light fixture breaks, and Seungmin takes his time hiding evidence. Maybe they’ll think Chan did it, or Jeongin. Or Minho, with everyone’s powers. No matter the case, it doesn’t really matter. He can’t bring himself to feel any worse than he already does, for what he’s done. What he will do. Because none of them will be able to forgive him, right? After the first murder, when they barely knew him, there was no way they could. So what was the point in pretending to be a good person?

They were right, weren’t they, those kids? Seungmin can’t be trusted. Is a bad person, because of his power.

Woojin reveals too much. Ruins any chance of the suspect list being larger, and Seungmin panics, again. What if Woojin sees him the next time he looks into the past? What if he tells everyone that Seungmin did it?

So he kills Woojin.

“Sorry, Woojin. Your power is just too capable of revealing me, you know?”

“I- I don’t-” Woojin shouts, then. Yells as loudly as he can, but Seungmin knows nobody can hear him. Woojin move, presumably to try and fight back, but it doesn’t matter.

“Don’t attack me. Actually, turn around and stay still.”

Seungmin goes back into the hall, finds a weapon- a spear that’s most likely decorative, but sharp enough it doesn’t matter- and uses that. The fact the weapon is long enough that he doesn’t get any blood on him is lucky, honestly. He thinks he should feel lucky. He doesn’t, not really.

When they’re discussing what happened to Woojin, and Minho says, “I mean it’s possible Seungmin did it,” Seungmin should be scared. But, honestly, he’s not.

“What?” Seungmin turns to Minho, wide-eyed. Pretends he doesn’t understand, even though Minho's right. “What do you mean I could have done it?”

“I mean that you could have gone to him, without a weapon, told him to turn around and stand still, and then went to get it.”

“He obviously would have suspected that would lead to his death, in that situation, and it wouldn’t have worked!”

“Assuming you weren’t lying about the limits of your power.”

Seungmin doubles down, pretends to be angry.

“You really just want to accuse everyone else, huh?!” Seungmin gives a scoff of a laugh. “Always the first to point fingers. Well you could have done it, too, using Jeongin’s powers. Neither of you would even have to attack him from behind, actually, since you could just turn him around.”

Woojin wasn't caught off guard. Only turned around because Seungmin told him to be. If they would just figure that out… Seungmin would lose.

Changbin asks Seungmin about his powers, after they vote for nobody, again. And Seungmin gives an answer. Lies, and says he can’t make someone kill themselves, but is otherwise truthful. When time to find a room comes, Seungmin heads towards where Changbin was, and meets Felix on the way.

“See you when we wake up,” Seungmin says, intending to leave it at that.

“Hopefully.” Felix’s words stab painfully at Seungmin’s thoughts. No, not hopefully, because Felix will survive the night.

Changbin knows that if he can’t hear Seungmin, he wont be able to use his power on Changbin, but he doesn’t react quick enough.

“Stay still.” Seungmin’s hands twist the rope he holds. He’s done this before, already, there’s no need to hesitate. “Don’t… fight back.”

Strangling him is easier than Seungmin thinks it should be. He hides the rope in the room he pretended to spend his time unconscious in. Hides a few other things, in a vague, pointless attempt to frame someone else. Changbin had been suspicious of Chan, had told Felix as much, earlier, so Seungmin heard. If Felix mentioned it, maybe the others would choose Chan. Or Minho.

Seungmin doesn’t know why he votes for Minho. He knows someone else is bound to vote for Chan- and Minho does, just before Seungmin votes- but he can’t do it. Chooses someone else, because then there was no chance of a tie, unless Felix voted for himself. He wouldn’t, again, would he? Someone was going to die.

It was probably going to be Seungmin, right?

“I vote for Seungmin.” Felix sounds so certain.

“What?” Seungmin can’t bring himself to actually act surprised.

“You did it, right?”

“Did I?” But Felix knows. Appears convinced. Probably noticed something, and understood that Seungmin did it. He doesn’t know why, but he’s relieved. Resigned to his fate- afraid of what he knows is going to happen to him- but relieved none the less. He laughs, holds up his hands, and admits it. “You got me.”

“Wait- you’re admitting it?!” Jeongin is the first to react. Even though he voted for Seungmin, too, why does he seem so disbelieving? “Why?!”

“Would anything I say make you feel better about it?” Was there anything he could say, that would make them forgive him? To understand? Did he even deserve that, if they would?

They ask how he did it, so he tells them. Minho reacts to the realization that Seungmin lied about his limits, and he admits that, too. Says that Felix knows the real limit. That he needs to be heard, but that’s all.

He needs to be heard.

“Why kill them?!”

“In general, or specifically them?” Seungmin didn’t have a reason. Because he felt like it? Because he panicked, because Jisung forced him to think of his own guilt, because he was scared of Woojin, because Changbin’s death would be suspicious for someone else. What did it matter? Or was it because he couldn’t blame them? Couldn't frame them? “Because none of them were all that suspicious or easy to frame, so none of you would have voted for them. Well, honestly, Hyunjin’s was an accident. I didn’t mean to kill anyone until after the first time we went to sleep, but I panicked.”

Their questions start to hurt his head, because Seungmin doesn’t want to answer. Doesn’t want to tell them. Doesn’t want to admit to himself what happened. He didn’t plan this.

He didn’t plan it.

Felix had mentioned- not to Seungmin, or anyone else, but to Hyunjin’s corpse- that he was going to make sure the others were buried properly. That they wouldn’t rot in this place. Would they do the same for him? Or, maybe, he didn’t deserve that?

“Hey, Felix?”

“Yes?”

“You’re going to bury the others, right? Make sure they don’t just sit here and rot?”

“Yes…”

“Maybe… you could have me buried, too?” _Don’t leave me to rot, here._

“You think any of us would care what happens to you, after this?!” Minho disbelief is unsurprising. The venom in his tone is unsurprising.

“No.” It wasn’t like Seungmin deserved it. He was a bad person; untrustworthy.

“We’ll bury you, too,” Chan says.

“Thanks.” He’ll never understand how relieved Seungmin is to hear that. How much he appreciates it. Seungmin finds himself rambling. Explaining more of their host’s power, and how Seungmin is going to _die_ , soon.

When it’s over, when he hands the phone to Chan, knowing it’s his last few seconds, he feels nothing. Was his life supposed to flash before his eyes? Was he supposed to reflect? Wasn’t he supposed to _feel something_?

“Seungmin, why did you do this?” Felix asks. Not the first time they’ve asked, but the last.

“Does it matter?”

“Yes!”

“Would you hate me less, if I had a good reason?” Silence. Damning, confirming, silence. It wouldn’t matter. “Thought so.”

Seungmin’s reasons didn’t matter. He was always meant to be a bad person, in other people’s eyes, wasn’t he? Would his parents hear what happened? Somehow he didn’t even think about them. Would they hate him, too?

Seungmin closes his eyes.

What happens, when someone dies? If there’s an afterlife, would he get a chance to apologize, to the others? Would they care if he did?

Those with powers are naturally distrusted, someone with mind control even more so. Seungmin dies as untrustworthy as kids used to tell others he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On the bright side, the next bonus chapter will be a happy time.  
> to make up for...........this
> 
> im a baby so writing this made me actually really sad whoops  
> originally i was just gonna make the killer.... like originally a bad dude but i couldn't do it and now this happened


	9. Bonus Chapter | If No One Died

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If things had gone slightly differently, maybe they all could have made it out of there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's the happy to make up for the last chapter (or the whole story?)  
> i havent written happy dialogue in a while so......  
> beware i guess.
> 
> the opening may seem like it's just from the first chapter, bc parts of it are, but it's a little different

The population of people- among the 7 billion approximate people in the world- that have supernatural powers is approximately 840 million people. 12 percent of the worlds population, give or take. Despite this, and it’s growing commonality, society hasn’t adjusted well. So-called normal people don’t treat that twelve percent well.

So it’s no wonder, when they’re told there’s somewhere they can live safely and without judgement for having said powers, a number of them would accept. Would go where they were told was safe. After all, could it really be worse than their lives already are?

Nine- of the unknown number of people who were invited- accept. Nine of them show up at the building- it wouldn’t be inaccurate to describe it as a mansion- just outside of a large, but nearly desolate town. None of them are sure about this choice, of course. There’s suspicion in its convenience, in the land owners- and building owner- allowing them there. But, then, they want to be wrong about that suspicion.

When they arrive, they introduce themselves. The first to do so- a teenager named Jeongin- also adds what his power is, and the rest follow suit. Whether it’s because he did so, or because finally being able to just  _say it_ is nice, they all do.

So there’s a group of nine.

  * Woojin - the ability to see into the past, once every 12 hours.
  * Chan - plant manipulation.
  * Minho - power mimicry.
  * Changbin - temperature control.
  * Hyunjin - voice mimicry.
  * Jisung - levitation.
  * Felix - healing.
  * Seungmin - mind control.
  * Jeongin - telekinesis.



Seungmin knows, however, that this place isn’t safe. That it was never meant to be. If he wants to get out, however, he can’t tell them that straight out. If he wants to get everyone out, to be more than the untrustworthy person people used to say he was, he has to be careful.

They split up to search the building. They were told they had free reign of it, after all, and it was difficult to ignore the size of the building. To want to see what it had to offer. At first, they’re in groups. Seungmin, Felix, Changbin, Chan, and Minho are together, to start, and then they split up further. Seungmin, Chan, and Minho are together, on the second floor. While Seungmin has been in the building before, he didn’t have enough time to form a plan, so he searches for a suitable room. The one they’re in, when Chan starts conversation, seems promising.

“I wonder what the person who owns this place is actually like?” Chan’s question makes Seungmin flinch. It goes unnoticed, by the other two. He knows what _that person_  is like. Most aptly, he’d describe him as _evil_.

“Think he’s got a power too?”

“Like he wants to help people like him? Or maybe he’s a sympathetic- uh- statistically normal person?”

“Statistically normal,” Seungmin repeats, laughing. “What a way to phrase it.”

“I can’t believe I’m statistically abnormal.” Minho laughs, too, while Chan frowns at the two.

“You _are_.”

“ _We_ are, you mean?”

“Got me there.”

They split up, further still, later. Off all on their own. Seungmin heads back towards that room, distinctly aware that he’s being watched. That’s fine, though, because the camera set up in this room is odd. Partially blocked.

Hyunjin is there. “Seungmin, what-”

Seungmin panics, starts talking without thinking. “Kill yourself.” The words come without warning, from his own mouth. The thought of death- of making them die- too far in the front of his mind. Hyunjin starts to move while Seungmin stands there, in the doorway. “ _No!_ Wait- stand still!”

Hyunjin stops, and Seungmin breaths a heavy, relieved, sigh.

“That would be impossible to cover up, so soon.” The words are more to convince _that person_  than for himself. More to make him think Seungmin isn’t going back on their arrangement, than because he actually means it. It’s true, still, but Seungmin doesn’t plan on killing any of them. “Hyunjin, leave this room and forget you ever saw me here.”

Hyunjin leaves the room, past Seungmin, and when he’s gone, Seungmin breathes another relieved sigh.

 

“We’re supposed to buy this?!” Jisung’s voice echos through the main hall, as they’re told one of them is going to start killing the rest. Seungmin flinches at his tone, knowing how true the words were meant to be. How close to the truth they were.

“The door’s blocked,” Changbin says, pulling at the front door’s handle with no luck.

“Then we’ll break out.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Hyunjin says, nervousness clear in his voice. “They said they can knock us out, right? What would- what might they do if we don’t go along with what they want?”

“He has a point,” Woojin agrees. “We should use our time to figure a way out of this situation that’s more likely to work.”

“As if we know what will and wont work?” Minho scoffs.

“Guys!” Chan draws their attention. “Let’s just think about this. Did anyone see anything strange? Did anyone seem to be acting really oddly?”

Nobody has any response to that. They’re told, after a pause, to separate. To go to different rooms, by themselves. As they’re leaving the main hall, once able to use his powers, Seungmin speaks. “Everyone except Hyunjin ignore what I’m about to say.”

So they all stop listening to him. “Hyunjin, go to that room on the second floor that you forgot you saw me in.”

Everything set into place, Seungmin heads off to a room near that one, to act out his plan.

He gets Hyunjin to stand in the right place, and then pretends to smash a lamp over the others head. It shatters, glass breaking into his hand, and some onto Hyunjin’s shoulder. Still, it’s not deadly, though Hyunjin falls to the ground painfully. He doesn’t make any sound, thanks to Seungmin’s specific orders. (“Stand here and be quiet.”)

Then, when _that person_  calls, to ask Seungmin how much time he needs to hide the body, Seungmin finally does what he’s been waiting to. “In order to hide the body? I need you to believe I killed Hyunjin and ignore him being alive from now on. In fact, why don’t you just believe I’ve done exactly as you asked, and it’s been a couple days? Everyone except me is dead, so you’ll just let us leave, right?”

“Okay. If that’s all?”

“Yep.” Seungmin nods. It wouldn’t have worked, before, when there was nothing for him to make the other believe in. But with one fake-murder, everything would make sense in his mind, so Seungmin’s orders will work. They must have worked, or Seungmin doubts he’d still be conscious.

“Okay, Hyunjin, you can move and speak again.”

“What- what the hell happened?!” Hyunjin sits up, flinching when he realizes he’s in pain.

“Uh- oh- remember everything, too?”

“Oh.”

“There we go.”

“What- what kind of situation is this, Seungmin? What did you do? Why are we-”

“I’ll explain once we’re all long-gone, okay?”

Convincing everyone not to be angry takes some effort. Especially when Seungmin doesn’t use his powers to do so. But it’s worth that, he thinks, when they’re all outside the building, and Seungmin, “convinces,” _that person_  to give all of them enough money to move to an actually safer place.

“You know, I was planning on moving abroad, anyway,” Chan explains. “I have family near where I wanted to go.”

When they’re far away from the building, away from that person and his influence, Seungmin explains. Explains how he was approached, how he agreed, planning this from the beginning to do what he has. Admits that he nearly killed Hyunjin, in a panic, only for Hyunjin himself to remind him that he _didn’t_.

 

Nobody would be able to explain, logically, why they all end up living together. The nine of them. They had all gone to that mansion back then, because they were looking for somewhere safe. A place like where they are now. Where they can use their powers- maybe not freely, but without being afraid, and for simple, mundane things.

“Woojin,” Minho starts, “come here, let me borrow your power.”

“Why?”

“I’m going to personally solve this mystery.”

“The… mystery of who ate the last pretzels?”

“This is very important to me!”

“Yeah, Woojin, let the poor man try and solve this using your power,” Seungmin says. Woojin turn to glare at him, suspicious.

“What do you get out of this?”

“Peace of mind.”

“ _I bet my room placement that it was Changbin,_ ” a perfect copy of Seungmin’s voice, says. Seungmin himself turns to look at Hyunjin in pure betrayal. “What?”

“I would never bet my room placement: I got the best one!”

“But you did. Didn’t you hear that just now? Your own voice said those words.”

“No more importantly, why do you think I did it?!” Changbin’s offended tone only serves to make Seungmin laugh.

Felix, beside Seungmin, laughs. “Because the room got way colder when we brought it up?”

“It did not. You take back that false statement, Felix.”

“I have never lied in my life.”

“Anyone else _super_ not believe that?” Jeongin asks, narrowly avoiding Felix trying to hit him for that. “Hey!”

“I’m honest!”

“If you have to say it, it’s more suspicious,” Jisungs says, as he enters the room from the kitchen.

“I think you’ve all really lost track of the original topic,” Chan adds, shaking his head. Then, after a pause. “What were we talking about?”

“The only thing that matters! My stolen food!” Minho turns to Woojin, again. “Help me out, here.”

“Wait, _stolen?_ It wasn’t technically yours to begin with?” Jisung’s words are met with a glare from Minho.

“Those sound like the words of a traitor.”

“I didn’t take them, but still-”

“Betrayal hurts, Jisung.”

“Okay, this is out of hand.” Chan shakes his head. “Seungmin, will you do me a favor?”

“Sure?”

“Tell whoever did it to tell the truth.”

“Oh, shit, I didn’t think of that.”

“How did you not?” Woojin asks Minho, his disbelief clear.

“I never claimed to be smart.”

“Fair.”

“Okay, can whoever did it admit their crimes?” The response to Seungmin’s words is immediate, and from Felix.

“It was me; I didn’t realize it was the last of it until Minho got angry!”

“You tried to frame me!” While Changbin turns to Felix, clearly annoyed, Jeongin laughs.

“See I knew it wasn’t true.”

“Why are all of you like this, at all times?”

“Don’t pretend you aren’t part of this, Chan,” Woojin says, laughing at Minho tackling Felix and calling the other a traitor.

“I shouldn’t have asked you all to come with me.”

“Too late to regret that, you’re stuck with us,” Jisung says, shrugging when Chan turns to him.

“ _You know I was planning to go aboard, you should all come with me,_ ” Hyunjin says, with Chan’s voice. Or, _mostly_ Chan’s voice, it breaks into his own near the end. “Please pretend I had perfect control of my power just then.”

“I can’t believe you’ve done this to me.”

“You should have thought twice before asking eight basically-strangers to move to another country with you.”

“He’s got a point,” Jeongin adds.

“I hate all of you.”

 

Those with powers are naturally distrusted by those without. Someone with mind control even more so. And, yet, Seungmin somehow finds himself living with people who don’t look at his power as anything other than a tool for finding food thieves.

They had all gone to that mansion back then because they were looking for somewhere safe. A place like where they are now. Seungmin was glad that all of nine of them were here, together, despite the place that originally brought them together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now it's really over! Onto my next vote-based story. I think it'll be stray kids, again, and i have a sorta vague idea, i think. maybe.  
> but if anyone has any other ideas they wanna present im all ears (or eyes?)
> 
> so i guess this story actually had 3 MCs. Woojin, Felix, and Seungmin. what a powerful trio.  
> get it  
> power-ful
> 
> Thank you all for reading <3

**Author's Note:**

> comments are always appreciated!


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